Guilt Tripping (Bendy x Reader)
by ckaira77
Summary: A long time ago, you had a crush on a cartoon demon named Bendy. It never occurred to you that he'd like you back. However, Joey decides to close down the animation studio and you and Bendy are ripped apart for ten years. Being 18, you return to find that many things have changed and that your little Devil Darlin' isn't so innocent anymore. You can add humor to the list of genres.
1. Chapter 1 Magnanimous

Guilt Tripping

BATIM (Bendy x Reader)

 **Chapter 1 Magnanimous**

"Hmm…," Joey says to himself as he stares blankly into a dark glob of ink on his desk. A memory sweeps past him in an instant, but it vanishes instantly. The memory contained a grinning face with black Pacman eyes as he tap-danced his way to glory. It was the last episode of the Adventures with Bendy and Boris series. It brought a hint of nostalgia to Joey's heart. If only he had the time and the patience to finish his products! Henry always worked his butt off for Joey, but it was all over now. Bendy and Boris were dead material now.

Gently, he took the bottle of ink and put it away beside the desk. It'll never be used or seen again. Well, for ten years, at least.

"Henry! We're bringing (y/n) back home tonight! We need to get going! No point in reliving pointless memories… Even if they are the best we have…," Joey called into the other room with yet more nostalgia flooding into his heart.

Henry, a man with short, blonde hair with a blue ink-stained vest on, looked up. His ink pen fell to the floor as he realized what time it was. He was drawing Bendy. The star in their hearts with a joyous grin and little black tap dancing feet. Such potential, Henry thought. He knew Joey was right, however.

"Sheesh! I'm coming! Just be a bit patient, alright? By the way, do you know where (y/n) is?" he asked.

"I think I last saw her in the projector room. She's watching the last episode and it should be over by now. Could you bring her for me?" Joey asked as he thoughtfully straightened his mustache. It was also stained with ink.

Henry nodded as he stood to his feet. "Okay. I'll go peek in and if it's over, I'll get her. Be back in a few minutes!" Henry chirped with a wave.

Walking down the long hallway, he glanced up at the huge pipes with water rushing through them on the ceiling. Who needed that much water for one building anyway? Well, they'd never run or break again. That was for sure. He reached the end and looked in. Henry saw the screen with the ending to the series being played on it. The credits were playing. He also saw his little 8-year-old niece twirling in a summer dress around the room. She was singing.

 _There's a place in my heart…_

 _For him and me…_

 _He'll ask me to dance and sing_

 _We'll never be apart!_

 _Just Bendy and Bendy and Bendy_

 _And me!_

Laughing slightly at your little song, Henry knocked on the wooden wall to get your attention. You didn't even know he was there listening in. Your face turned a little red from embarrassment. "Uncle Henry! How long have you been there…?"

"Not too long. You have a beautiful singing voice, though. Come on! Grandpa Joey says it's time to leave. I'll help you turn off the projector," Henry told you gently. He knew you didn't know that was the last episode with Bendy and Boris. Their spot on TV was being replaced by a different show.

"Okay, Uncle Henry…," you said slightly disappointed. Being an 8-year-old with an insane crush on a cartoon character wasn't easy. It was easy to watch the cartoon, but it was hard to stop. "My Little Devil Darlin' wanted me to stay here with him!"

Henry giggled a little at your cute nickname as the projector shut off. He ruffled your hair and nodded. "I'm sure Bendy would love you if he were real! You two are both always getting into trouble…," he stated. Then, he leaned in closer. "I haven't told your grandfather about the flour incident in the kitchen. Your secret is safe."

You both smirked at each other. Henry always let you get away with things because Joey always got scary when angry. One time, you accidentally spilled ink all over the floor and Joey figured out that you stained your nicest dress black. At first, you laughed and said that you looked more like Bendy, but Joey wasn't nearly so pleased.

The two of you walked down the halls. You never noticed that the projector light came back on in the other room on its own. A voice called out your name knowing that it'd be the last time in years that they'd be able to see you enjoy the show again.

"No, (y/n)... Don't leave yet! Come back! Don't abandon me yet! I meant to tell you!" cried Bendy's voice. Nobody heard his desperate cry. "Um… (Y/n)?" The 2D image of Bendy turned to Boris and sadly walked away knowing it was pointless.

"Aw… Come on Bendy! You'll get another chance next week!" Boris encouraged his best friend. Bendy looked back to him with the face of depression itself.

"No, Boris. That was our LAST show. She's not coming back. I've heard Joey talking…," Bendy explained.

"Wha-?! How did-?! Just… how could they do that to us…? Things were going well! We were climbing our way to the top! Bendy… If that's true, then what do we do now…?" asked the wolf slowly.

At first, Bendy didn't respond. When he did respond, it was a very dark answer. "We sit and rot in the land of the forgotten… Like all cartoons do… Because they can't die. We're stuck here forever."

As soon as the darkness of their situation sunk in, Boris became both sad and terrified. He howled a sad wolf howl. Their days of entertaining on the silver screen were done.

Joey ushered you and Henry into the car. Even though he said that you both had to leave as fast as possible, for some reason, he got the urge to go back inside alone. With an awkward glance towards you and his co-worker, he retreated back inside.

"Well…, that was strange," Henry stated as he watched the old doc run back inside.

"Is grandpa okay?" you asked with a confused glance towards your uncle. Henry nodded to appease your worries. It didn't really work. Images of him coming back as a monster or not at all came to your head. Then you realized how silly that was and continued to wait.

After a minute of silence, Henry decided to break it. "So, you were singing about Bendy earlier, huh?" he asked you.

You decided to be completely honest. "Yes, I was. There's nothing else I watch that really provides any good entertainment. He's kinda my hero…," you admitted.

Henry was silent as he remembered that being the last episode. He couldn't bring himself to tell you. "Well, who do you think is better? Bendy or Boris?" he asked changing the subject.

"You know who, Uncle Henry! Bendy!" you chirped.

"Awwww… But what about Boris? He needs a little attention too!" Henry replied giving you a pouty lower lip.

You stood on your knees in the seat. "Bendy can sing, he's really good at dancing, and he can do almost anything!"

Henry continued his argument. "But Boris is his best friend and is extremely strong! He can play any clarinet he finds and will always get your precious Bendy out of any jam!"

"He's not my precious Bendy! He's my glorious, fabulous, magnanimous, respectful-"

"Magnanimous?! What makes you think he's that? Also, who taught you such a long word that even tall people can't understand?" Henry asked.

You beamed at your display or knowledge. "My teacher taught me! Also, Bendy is magnanimous!"

"Name me one time he's forgiven, someone! If you can do that, then he's magnanimous!" Henry told you.

"Um…"

"Told ya."

You silently sat in the seat. Episodes flew through your head as you still tried to find one time he forgave someone or let go of a grudge. You couldn't think of one. Finally, you gave up. No arguing with the maker of the show about the star's personality.

"Say, why do you argue so hard for Bendy's side anyway?" asked Henry.

You sat higher with your knees on the seat to prove your point. "Because he's adorable!"

"Oh, I see. You like that little devil, don't you?" Henry answered with a smug look. You found yourself flopping back down on the seat with your cheeks burning red.

"No! Not like that!"

"Ah-ha! Detective Henry just struck a nerve! Once again, he is victorious!" Henry cheered with a large grin on his face.

You crossed your arms at him and refused to speak or look at him. It was childish, but you were a child. It stayed like that until Joey returned. He hopped into the driver's seat and turned on the engine. "You ready to go, Little Miss?" he asked as he looked back to you.

"Yes, sir!" you answered.

With that, you drove away from the curb and down the road back to your house. It would be the last time in ten years you'd ever see that studio. But you never knew of the shady plan that formed in Joey's mind that very day. The day he abandoned his work was also the day he started his work…


	2. Chapter 2 Broken Fences

**Chapter 2 Broken Fences**

Many years had gone by since the incident. When Henry finally told you about the previous episode being the last, it crushed you. No more Bendy? No more of his adorable face? There wasn't any Internet back then and you couldn't just look up the episodes or anything whenever you wanted. Multiple things resulted from this.

You and Uncle Henry always had an awkward relationship from that point on.

You tried to keep yourself from being attached to any cartoon or show after that.

You realized how bad you were at drawing cartoon characters.

You had stopped watching TV to stop the pain of losing a favorite show. Instead, you started diving into books. Nobody would be able to swipe the words from the page. Also, because Henry never admitted outright to you that it was the last episode, you never really were able to forgive him for that. Whenever he came over, you'd try to avoid him as much as possible. You knew it was selfish, but it would only be awkward to speak to him again. Although, despite all of these changes that happened, you were somewhat desperate to see Bendy again. When you tried drawing his simple design, you'd never get it right. It would always look too lopsided or like something else. Needless to say, you begged yourself to never draw again.

Ten years of this went by. A long time ago, Joey was an active man. He'd always come to your house to say hello or to check in on your dad. Joey had to make sure his son wasn't getting in trouble apparently. Each time he saw you, he'd say the same thing. Over and over and over again.

"I have a surprise for you. I'll show it to you when it's perfected. Until then, you must wait."

People started getting suspicious after he left one day and didn't come back in four years. When he did come back, he looked like a lunatic and instead of promising you, he grasped onto your shoulders tightly. The insane glare in his eyes frightened you. He growled to you before being dragged away by your parents…, "They went wrong… It went all wrong! I failed… They'll kill me! They'll kill me! THEY'LL KILL US ALL! You must never go back! Never… Never! NEVER! They hate this family… They hate you! Listen to me! NEVER GO BACK!" he screamed. His cries echoed on in your nightmares. It became a problem.

"Listen, my dad's finally lost his marbles and is not going to come back to do that to you again. I made sure of it… If you need to see someone about your nightmares, just tell me, okay?" your dad would always ask when you brought it up.

You didn't want to see a doctor! You didn't need to see a doctor! These words surged through your adult brain. Staying at your mom and dad's house at 18 was pathetic enough. Without thinking, you decided that the best way to solve the problem was to face it. You'd go back to the animation studio to prove nothing was there.

Telling your mom you'd be back before supper, you skipped out the door and drove the car to the studio. On the outside, it wasn't much different. There was an old Adventures of Bendy and Boris sign beside the door that had been boarded up. Thinking about Bendy made you stop for a moment. You had once thought he could've been real and could've been yours. It was stupid, but you still wanted that faint hope to come back.

Thrusting open the door, you walked in. It was cold and dusty. A projector was left on and gears ground on the walls making a ton of noise. It hurt your ears so bad. Desperately, you felt around for a light switch. The search brought you to a cardboard cutout of Bendy beside the projector. Even though you still loved Bendy, you couldn't help but feel unnerved by its stare. Was it here the last time you were there? It had been a long time…

Still searching for a light switch, you felt around the walls to find a room with a desk in it. A small lamp was on and it provided some light. Recognition filled your senses when you realized it was your Uncle Henry's desk. A small picture of Bendy's face popped out of a piece of paper on the desk. The word 'no' was scribbled in next to it in handwriting you didn't recognize. You noticed a book that was laid off to the side. It was titled _The Illusion of Living_. The book didn't seem right. Henry would never read something like that. The exploration continued.

Every event from Chapter 1 of Bendy and the Ink Machine was carried out. There were very few differences. One part that was different was when you found Boris.

At first, you thought that your eyes were playing cruel tricks on you. Upon closer inspection, you realized that it wasn't an illusion or trick at all. It was Boris. Surprised, you sprinted down the hallway and came screeching to a stop when you realized the situation.

"What in the-?! Has his-?! Are those-?! Grandpa Joey… What did you do?! His stomach! His chest! What's with all of this ink?!" you demanded in confusion and fear. Glancing at the wall, you spotted words in black ink writing like the other message you found before about dreams coming true.

 _Do you remember us?_

The words disturbed you a lot. Hearing them said was one thing, but slathered across a wall in black, dripping ink made it thrice as creepy. Was this mystery being really talking to you specifically? You hoped not. Normally, at this point, you'd race for the exit. However, curiosity overpowered this feeling.

Proceeding on, you were jump scared by the cardboard Bendys. You came to the conclusion that the place was haunted by ghosts. What else could it be?! How was it possible? You didn't even know why you were trying to turn on the ink machine. It was all just instinct. Rather than mischief in their cardboard eyes, you saw curiosity. It was a strange curiosity. Gathering items and pushing buttons was a lot of work. By the time you finally pulled the lever to start the machine, you were scared out of your mind. All you wanted to do was see the ink machine and leave. Seeing that the area to the ink machine was boarded up was what initiated your worries. You crept a little closer…

Something covered in ink slashed through the boards and tried to grab you. Ink began to flood the floors. A scream rose in your heart and mind at least ten seconds before you actually made it a reality. The instinct to scream and flee was overwhelming. Finally, you were able to get away from it. The creature stumbled and you raced for the exit. Barely able to see where you were going created only more fear. When the door came into view, you felt yourself trip just before reaching the door. You fell expecting to land on the inky ground, but that never happened. You fell.

"I HATE THIS PLACE! MAKE IT ALL STOP! I HATE YOU BENDY! I HATE THIS ANIMATION STUDIO! I HATE BEING SCARED! I HATE FEELING LIKE THIS! PLEASE NO! I DON'T WANNA DIE!" you shouted frantically. Nobody was there to save you.

Crashing to the ground, you felt your left leg snap. The pain was so overwhelming you fainted on the spot. Thankfully, shock erased a lot of the pain and you fell into a dark unconsciousness.

After what felt like a lifetime of being lifeless, you forced yourself to open your eyes. You didn't remember the crazy nightmares that plagued your head. Whatever they were about, they gave you a headache. What immediately greeted you when you fully awakened was the pain, confusion, a leg cast on your left leg, a fluffy pillow behind you, and a strange being whistling to himself just around a corner. Forcing yourself to sit up without moving the cast, you tried to piece together what happened. Oh yeah, the monster and the fall. What happened to the ink creation from the ink machine?

The whistling was going to your head. Who'd hang out in a joint like this?! Well, they were nice enough to try to fix your leg up as much as possible after all of that. Maybe they caught the beast and returned it to ink! You had to thank them for their kind deeds. You weren't sure what kind of approach to take when calling out to them.

"Hello…? Who's there?" you asked.

The whistling stopped. After a moment, someone came running through the doorway. Who came screeching to a stop in front of you dropped your jaw. Fear rose up in you again.

"B-Bendy?! You know, it was REALLY nice being here, but I kinda have to go! Could you tell me how to get out of here?!" you asked avoiding his face as much as possible. The moments you recalled of Bendy weren't great anymore. You knew you should've been surprised, but at this point, it didn't matter to you if it was real or fake. All you could think up were jump scares and torturing on Bendy's to-do list from who knows how long ago.

"There's a staircase, but… I don't think you wanna do that…," Bendy explained. His face obviously gave away that he knew you were just trying to escape. A part of him didn't blame you.

You glared at him. "What? Did you rig the staircase with traps or something?!" you demanded.

"Nope. Unless if you want to torture yourself by climbing them in your condition, I don't recommend you use it. I'm sure you know me! Cuz' I'm Bendy!" he chirped.

You narrowed your eyes at him. He got the hint that you didn't exactly trust him. Without waiting, he tossed a water bottle your way. You picked it up from the floor and inspected it closely. Dehydration sounded like a horrible way to die, but poisoning almost sounded worse. "Is it… poisoned?"

Bendy looked annoyed for half a second. "Gee, I don't know! After all that I've done to help you, you come asking if I'm going to be a hypocrite and kill you. Why don't you figure it out yourself?" he explained.

You took a sip of the water. It tasted like normal water. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry! You didn't have to be so rude about it, though… I'm sure you'd think I was the torture master if I put you through all of what you did the other day!"

Bendy crossed his arms and thought about your statement. "I guess that's true. But what did you expect me to do? I was no more than a 2D plane. I could only transport myself into different hosts at the time that projected my 2D image. You know, like cardboard cutouts or projectors. I had to use what I could to get you to make me into a 3D image so I could explain."

"Then why did you constantly try to scare me?!" you demanded. You clutched at the pillow from the memory. "I was freaking out as it was and you had to make it worse, Bendy! All of your little pranks didn't help!" you yelled. After burying your face into the pillow, you could hear him move next to you. At this point, you didn't care anymore. You just wanted to go home. "I only wanted to make the nightmares stop, Bendy…"

"Nightmares?" he asked suddenly interested.

You tried not to cry from the stupid situation you were in. Taking a breath, you tried to explain about how your life was for the last ten years. You made sure not to leave anything out about Uncle Henry or Grandpa Joey. Bendy crossed his arms with disappointment when he heard Joey Drew was gone but not dead. "I can't believe that traitor is being allowed to live after what he did to us. You saw what he did to Boris! He tried to torture me, too… Thankfully, using a few of my tricks, I sent him screaming for the hills! Although, I don't know who else can fix Boris…"

"You sound like you really hate my grandfather… I guess I kind of hate him too… All of this is his fault. I'm just glad he won't be coming back from the retirement home…," you explained.

"What about Henry? I sent him a message to come here the other day. He hasn't shown up," Bendy said looking over a calendar he found. One box was circled that said 'Letter sent' on it.

You lifted your head from the pillow. "What do you want to see my uncle for?"

"I have a score to settle with him too. When you showed up, I thought you were actually Henry. That was why I jump scared you the first time. However, being a cardboard cutout, it wasn't like I could respond to your scream and beg for forgiveness. I wanted to! But I couldn't! So, I just figured that you could fix the machine and then I'd apologize! However, the process to make someone 3D was complicated, so I was first turned into this weird ink blob before I took shape. As you already know, ink blobs are not very handsome, so, I can understand why you ran for the exit screaming. The problem was… The pitfall trap I made for Henry… I made it a little too good and you fell for it. Literally," he explained.

You huffed. "THAT'S how you talk about me falling almost to my death?!" you demanded almost insulted.

"Well, you have been asleep for a few days now. I've just been waiting around feeling like a guilt-tripping loser for three days. I'm not completely heartless, so I ran as fast as I could to get help, but most people ran away screaming, "Demon! Demon! OH NUUUUU!" So, I had to steal from the stupid hospital and I had to read an entire book about the subject! It was so boring… Eventually, I was able to fix you up, but I still felt like a guilt-tripping loser for three days…"

At least, he felt guilty about almost ruining your entire life in a day. You took another sip of the water. You didn't want to talk any more about what happened. "How do you like being 3D?"

Surprised by the sudden question, he thought it over. "It's okay. Not much different than life in the projector. I'm more amazed by all of the colors outside of these walls. Never been outside until you tripped! Despite the fact that people were a-screamin', I was a-beamin'. Nothing can bring down this happy little demon! 3D is cool, but the color is astronomical! I almost envy those humans living the good life with their pretty universe," he stated with the happy grin still on his face.

You couldn't help but smile a little from his little rhyme. In a way, his personality sort of reminded you of how Henry would act around you. It brought up an old memory. "Hey Bendy, you won't tell anyone about me breaking my leg, right? I mean, we don't want to get in trouble…," you said with the smug look.

Bendy saw the look of mischief in your eyes. He knew your parents probably wouldn't want you to be trapped in an abandoned animation studio with a broken leg and a demon. He grinned even bigger and nodded. "Your secret's safe with me. The humans shall never know about us."

"Thanks, Bendy."

Bendy shrugged. "Hey, after what I did, I'm practically your servant now! Whatever you wish, madame! I shall sing and dance if that be your wish! I shall conquer empires! I shall destroy armies! I shall win the world and let you rule it! Just say the word!" he chirped.

Just as he finished what he was saying, a door just above you opened and a man's voice called out into the darkness. "Hello…? Joey? What was it you wanted me to see, huh? I'm here like you asked!"

The energy that was once in Bendy's face vanished in an instant. His glassy eyes glared up at the main floor and, to your surprise, you could see Henry standing directly above you. The trap must've been magic or something. Bendy clutched his fist and shut his eyes reluctantly. When he opened them, he turned to you with a gaze that frightened you. It was a really sudden transition of mood.

"I'm so sorry, (y/n)... I would love to entertain you like I used to, but you must understand… I do have one objective in this unnatural life I now possess… I vowed to settle the score and get revenge for Boris, so I have to go… You stay here and don't move from that spot," Bendy commanded you with a slightly deeper voice tone. He began to leave before you could even nod. Just before he left, he snatched the ax from the wall. "Also, I'm going to need this."

"What's that for…?" you asked.

"Oh… Nothing."


	3. Chapter 3 Swag

**Chapter 3 Swag**

Because you got so bored from not hearing a voice in so long, you fell asleep on the dusty floor. Bendy's cheerfulness around you but hatred around others confused you. Why did he like you but hate the rest of your awkward family? You knew Joey killed Boris, but what did Henry do? You thought that Bendy would've thanked Henry for creating him. It never occurred to you that Bendy would hate him as much as he loathed Joey.

Hour after hour continued to fly by. You finally were able to sleep soundly after several weeks of nightmares. For what felt like the first time, you had a somewhat appealing dream. Nothing. Not blackness, not hatred, just not anything at all. Those were the kinds of dreams that you wished would come more often. When you woke up, a random thought came to your head.

 _It makes me look more like Bendy, Grandpa!_

How was a dream about nothing and Bendy related? If Bendy wasn't there whistling his days away, you decided to ponder that thought to pass the time. Thankfully, Bendy was there. He was polishing the ax he stole yesterday. He definitely went on a chopping spree… On what, you didn't want to know.

"Did you settle the score with Henry yesterday?" you asked groggily.

Bendy jumped. When he realized it was just you, he looked somewhat relieved. "Well…, it didn't go the way I thought it would! I was going to make the entire upstairs room collapse on top of him! That was what I needed the ax for!" he said.

"And?"

"Turns out that Henry has super-human strength!" Bendy exclaimed loudly. He realized that your ears didn't enjoy the sudden volume change. "Sorry. You'd be screaming too if you saw it."

You shook your head. "Just tell me how you retaliated."

Bendy placed the ax back into its little spot on the wall. He grinned fiendishly. "Well… I'm not one for getting my hands dirty because you do not know how hard it is to find a new bow tie with swag these days. So, I let him go…"

You didn't buy that he'd simply let Henry go. Narrowing your eyes at him again, you asked the obvious question. "You let him go where?"

Bendy shooed away the topic with his hands. "That's not what you should be concerned with! What matters is that he's dead and will probably stay dead. If he becomes undead, then I'll have to learn how to protect us from zombie apocalypses!" he answered plainly.

"You brought it up! I'm just curious! I kinda figured he'd be dead when I woke up anyway!" you shouted.

"I'm, like, so evil and stuff. I don't like being so predictable," Bendy told you as he twirled his pointed tail. He sat against the wall opposite of you. "So, what now? Explain in detail what happened to make me go on a killing spree with an ax? Or what Joey was planning to do to me…? Or how I sent him screaming for mercy? Hm… So many interesting topics to talk about!"

"I know. You have a rich history of gore and death. Why should I be surprised? I am surprised that Joey was able to escape your wrath. What was it? Attack of the moving cardboard?" you asked semi-seriously.

For a moment, Bendy looked insulted. "I can do more than just that as a 2D image! But I'd rather keep how I do my work to myself! I know that you probably won't be a tattle tail on me, but I don't want you getting any ideas. You know, drowning people in ink isn't something I like telling people about!" He explained on purpose. He winked at you. "Oops. I just told you."

"So that's how…," you said shaking your head at him. "I don't approve of murder, Bendy. You talk about it so lightly around me. And why do you want to kill them but not me?!"

He was silent but still grinning. You realized that you never saw him not grinning. It was almost as if the smile was stuck to his face. He shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe because I liked enjoying your company a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long, LONG time ago! Each long is about a year, so I said about ten longs."

"Are you calling me old?!" you demanded.

"No. I'm calling both of us old!"

While he was giggling at himself, you unscrewed the cap of the water bottle from the day before. It was still half full. Or maybe it was half empty? You threw the water in the bottle at him and he stopped abruptly before quickly sidestepping. You saw he was holding his breath and had minor fear reflecting in his eyes. Once the "danger" was nothing more than a puddle on the ground, he glared at you.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" he demanded.

"I don't know! You figure it out! How about the fact that you were annoying me! And you keep on killing everybody!" you retorted as you then threw the plastic bottle at him. He snatched it from midair and crumpled it up in his cartoon fist.

Bendy pointed an accusing finger at you. "You could've killed me! Don't you understand that I'm made out of ink?! Ink is generally a liquid substance! Do you understand what water does?! It washes it away! So, do you know what effect water would have on me?! ANSWER ME OR I'LL DROWN YOU JUST LIKE I DID HENRY!" he screamed.

You refused to let him intimidate you. Instead of flinching and looking to the ground with guilt, you defiantly glared back. "You'd melt like a popsicle in the sun!"

"Exactly!" Bendy answered. Infuriated at almost being murdered, he up and left without another word.

Realizing how far he was sticking his neck out for you made you feel a little guilty. You tried to convince yourself that he deserved it, but it always came back around as guilt. After an hour of trying to convince yourself to blame him, you decided that it was a good idea to apologize for trying to dump water on him. So, you waited.

Another hour went by and you began to wonder. Was he planning on coming back anytime soon? You also began to wonder what Bendy was doing. What if he wasn't planning on just coming back… What if he was planning on coming back to kill you?! It would be something in his nature to do. You shivered and your stomach growled at you fiercely from not eating anything in forever.

"Bendy… I'm sorry… Come back…," you said quietly more to yourself than to him. Because of your lack of energy, you curled up with the pillow Bendy left and fell asleep again.

 **Bendy's P.O.V.**

I was staring down the giant pitfall trap at her knowing that what I said was cruel but true. I was protecting myself by saying those things! It did enrage me a lot, though. How could she be so careless with someone who only wants to make her fall for him? Maybe she's too different from how she used to be. Maybe I don't even want to try.

"But, hey! A little time alone can do her some good! I've got things to do anyway! You know, cleaning up all of this ink all over the place for one thing! And there's… Um… Well, I'm sure the ink will be a big enough problem for me to deal with."

I hate cleaning. It was a great distraction, but it didn't exactly help out my mood in any way. After an hour of mopping and getting out ink stains from the floor, I went back to see what (y/n) was doing. She was sleeping again. It made me wonder if all that humans ever did was fight and sleep. Why do humans need sleep? I don't need sleep! They shouldn't need sleep either!

The plushie of myself sat against the corner of the room. I called it Bendy Jr. I know. So original, right? I picked it up and placed it on my shoulder. "Little Miss Sass Mouth won't be giving us any more lip, right Bendy Jr?" I asked it.

I made it nod. "Yes, Bendy! By the way, you look extremely handsome."

"Awwww! Thank you Bendy Jr! You're right! I'm the most handsome devil darling in the universe! Not to mention, I got my swag bow tie to up my coolness factor by a million percent!"

The doll pointed to its own bow tie. "What about me, Bendy? Am I cool too?"

"Well, duh! You're probably the coolest doll of all! After all, anyone who looks like me has got to be quite the catch! And the only one who looks like me is you," I told it reassuringly.

"It's a shame that they didn't make a Boris doll. It probably would've been awesome too…," the plushie said sadly.

I was taken aback by what I made it say. Shaking my head at the doll, I continued my fake conversation. "I'm sure they would have if they didn't stop our show altogether! If they continued, surely someone would've wanted a doll of Boris! I would…"

"Oh, of course, you would. The two of you were best friends and Joey just had to go and yank out his heart! Neither of us can ever live that down."

"Yeah…," I said sadly as I sat on the hard wooden floor with the plushie in my hand.

"Besides, I'm lucky to have you because neither of us has any friends. It's just you and me."

I glared at the doll angrily. "What do you mean I don't have any friends?! I've got plenty of friends! What about (y/n) in the basement?!" I demanded to try to prove it wrong.

"Do you really think she likes you even a little bit? Heck, she tried to throw water on you. Also, think about how cruel you were to her when she first got here. When she picked me up, I could see the fear in her eyes. I knew she saw you," the doll stated.

I hissed at the doll. "What was I supposed to do?! Pop up on the projector, introduce myself, and then explain that I can only become real if she starts up the ink machine?!"

"Maybe."

I lowered my head feeling depressed. The plushie sighed. "I'm sorry for being so mean, but I'm just a doll. I don't have any friends. You are really the one who thinks all of these things."

I dropped the plushie to the floor and its cute little voice swirled around in my head. "You don't have any friends! You're not exactly the greatest demon to get to know… Boris probably didn't even think you were his friend! He probably just thought you were annoying! And what about (y/n)?! You can't blame her for hating you! You know you're a murderer! The fact that you're proud of it is a sin! No wonder the world hates your stupid little grin! Your stupid little face!"

I clutched my head trying to make it stop. They screamed at me. So many years alone in an animation studio has driven me mentally insane. That doll never spoke one lie. I was the one fooling myself that I had any actual purpose.

"Plushie… Just tell me one thing… Can it be different? Is there a way to end this agony…?" I asked it.

It was lying there on the floor on its side. Without moving, it gave me its answer. "Forgive them and move on."

I kicked the doll to the other side of the room. It squeaked. "That's a stupid answer! I'll never forgive them! I'm going to keep going until my ax meets each of their hearts! We'll see how they like their own treatment!" I only felt more like a monster when I said this.

The doll was silent and it didn't speak. I ran over to it and stepped on it. It squeaked pathetically. I laughed. "DIE ALREADY!" I continued to stomp on the toy mercilessly. After five minutes, it was almost destroyed on the floor and I was consumed with guilt once again.

"Heh… I really am a monster to beat up a toy until it squeaked its last squeak… Why do I hate myself…?"

…

"The bow tie is pretty swag."

Stupid doll. And that's what it was thinking about.


	4. Chapter 4 Core Of The Issue

**Chapter 4 Core of the Issue**

 _CRASH!_

"Huh. I didn't think an apple could make so much noise! Please don't wake up, (y/n)!" Bendy shouted as he wall jumped down his own trap to retrieve the apple he dropped.

The apple was bruised on the side that fell on the floor and Bendy picked it up looking sad. "Rats! I was planning on eating that! It looked so good too… Henry had an apple on him and now it's ruined!" Bendy shouted.

You shifted at the sound of his loud voice. Bendy looked petrified for a moment and began to scurry up the trap rather than taking the stairs. The stairs are too risky! He didn't want to apologize or speak to you yet!

Opening your eyes, you looked around hoping to find Bendy. You could've sworn you heard him! Maybe it was just a dream… However, you did find the bruised apple on the floor. Taking a bite out of the good side, your stomach was brought back to life and begged for more. You began taking larger ravenous bites from the pink skin. The juice flooded your mouth and Bendy from above was envying you. You didn't even care that half of it was bruised. You hadn't eaten in days.

"That esurient little brat… I was still going to eat that," Bendy whispered from above.

Wiping your mouth clean with your arm, you realized something. "Bendy must've left this for me… Does that mean he doesn't feel mad anymore and he just can't face me? That's sweet of him…," you said as you gazed into the apple core for a moment.

"Huh?" Bendy asked looking back down at your thoughtful gaze at the apple. "Sweet?"

You ran your fingers over what skin the apple had left after your assault. It tasted amazing. You sighed. "I almost wish that I could be eight again… Then, I'd be able to understand him better. I guess I just have to try harder… Starting with doing something to thank him for this!" you announced to yourself.

"Doing something for me? Only Boris has ever done that…," Bendy said feeling really bad for misjudging you and calling you a brat.

You scratched your head. The only thing you could think of that he really liked was color. Astronomical was how he described it. However, you didn't think you could use that to your advantage because of how stuck you were. After thinking a moment, you thought of a solution.

"Hey, maybe I could sing something… I wonder if he's into music…," you said thoughtfully.

Clinging to the wall as hard as he could, he continued to listen and remembered something from ten years ago that always stuck with him. Your voice. Henry wasn't kidding when he said you had a great singing voice. Bendy secretly wished he had half the talent you did. Remembering your voice from then sent chills to his spine.

 _There's a place in my heart…_

 _For him and me…_

 _He'll ask me to dance and sing_

 _We'll never be apart…_

You sang a test song and Bendy clutched at the wall with all of his might. It was even harder when he realized that you had gotten better in the ten years. You had joined church choir and they transformed your voice from good to perfect pitch. The flashbacks came to his head and his fingers began to lose grip.

"Too… Pretty… Can't… Escape…," Bendy gasped. He tried to finish climbing the wall. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem for him, but his ultimate weakness was dragging him down.

 _You can't fall! You can't fall! You can't fall! If you fall then you'll-!_

His fingers finally slipped and he squeaked in terror. Apparently, fate was going to drag Bendy towards his worst nightmare. Unprepared confrontation with a love interest.

 _Help me…_

"AAAAAAAH!" Bendy shrieked and you jumped when he came crashing down right beside you. He groaned. "Thaaaaaaat smarts…"

You tilted your head at him. "Back so soon? I thought you'd avoid me longer than that. I guess that the Law of Gravity wouldn't let you!"

Bendy rubbed his face. If he were a normal human being, he would've had a broken nose. "Well, unlike Buggs Bunny, I studied law…"

You giggled. Suddenly, you remembered. "Oh! I saw the apple you left me. It was great! I haven't eaten since just before I came here and that probably explains why I've been feeling so weak and falling asleep so much… How long have I been in here?" you asked suddenly curious.

"Five days," Bendy responded without having to look.

"Wow! Feels like a week went by! Well, I want to apologize because I've been very mean to you lately… You were only trying to help in the way you knew how. I'm sorry for nearly throwing water on you yesterday… Forgive me?" you asked.

Bendy never liked the idea of forgiveness. It just never seemed right to him. However, this was one case where he really didn't want to not forgive and say he dropped the apple on accident. Before he could think too deeply about it, he answered. "Sure… Besides, I'm the one who's been such a pain! How you are able to put up with my deadly kinks, I'll never know."

"Don't remind me… I still don't approve of murder, Bendy. It isn't exactly something you should be doing. However, I'm willing to let that go… I want to be friends with you, Bendy! Secretly under all of your layers, you're a nice little demon!" you chirped.

 _But I killed somebody._

"You want to be friends with me?"

 _It was your Uncle Henry._

"Yeah! What do you say?"

 _I swear I'm being friend zoned._

"Um… This is the part where you answer…?"

 _She wouldn't want that anyway! You tried to kill her!_

"Bendy…?"

 _JUST SAY YES ALREADY!_

Realizing he was just staring blankly into space made him realize that he probably looked stupid. He blinked out of la la land. "Uh-! Sorry! Just having a complicated conversation with myself in my head… Yes! I'd love to be friends!"

 _You said loooooove…_

"As your new friend, I promise I won't ever again throw water on you!" you promised with a nod.

"Well, just as your friend and totally not anything else, I promise not to ever again accidentally break your left leg. No promises about the right one," Bendy answered.

"Deal."

It was all confirmed with a handshake and you smiled. You noticed that his eyes darted towards the wall to avoid your gaze. You wondered if to giggle would be a crime.

"So…, what now?" Bendy asked.

"Well…," you started slowly. As you stared in the direction of the stairs, you realized just how much you wanted to be out of that tiny room. Taking a deep breath, you finished your sentence. "I want to get upstairs somehow… Think maybe you could help me out…?"

For a moment, Bendy looked unsure of what to do. It was a long flight of stairs. He was too small to exactly carry a human up the steps. "Can you climb a rope without using your legs as a support?" he asked.

You shook your head no. Sometimes you'd exercise, but it was not enough to climb a rope without the use of your legs.

"I didn't think so… I'm really short, so I'd doubt that I'd be able to be your left leg up the stairs… Ugh! I need more ideas!" he shouted trying to think.

Almost at once, a crazy idea popped into your head. "I can swim."

Bendy stopped and stared at the giant hole in the ceiling. He knew exactly what the plan was. Just the thought of water made him cringe. "You want me to flood the basement?!"

"It's the only way I can think of! You can't lift me and I can't lift myself! At least, not for longer than fifteen seconds. I can't exactly walk up the steps, but I probably can still swim. Please! I don't want to be stuck down here for a month! I've already been stuck here for almost a week. If you'll help me, I'll be forever in your debt!" you begged.

Bendy sighed and looked back up at the giant hole. Then, he calculated the size of the room. He was going to need a whole lot of water. "Where am I supposed to find it? It's not like you can call a firetruck to stick its hose down this hole to flood an entire basement."

"There's plenty of water in the lake near here. Maybe we could harness that somehow!" you chirped.

"Okay! Now you're crazy! You expect me to go to the lake just to steal all the water and dump it into my studio's basement?!" he demanded.

"We're friends, right? If you don't wanna do it, then go get someone to can get me out! I don't want to stay here! Although, if they do find me, they'll probably take me to a hospital and then they'll try to get rid of you for kidnapping me," you explained crossing your arms.

"If they don't see me, then when they release you, we can go on being friends. I'll just do that. Flooding my basement just sounds crazy." he stated plainly. Bendy began to leave for the door.

"Hey, one more thing!" you called. Bendy glanced back. "You'll be back, right? Please tell me that you aren't going to just disappear again..."

Bendy glanced towards the wall and nodded. "I'll be back. For sure. You haven't seen the last of me. Not like I have any other friends! Even if you're a crazy person!" He said cheekily.

"I'm soooo crazy! Fear my randomness!"

Bendy looks to the stairs, to you, and then back at the stairs. He sighs slowly. "Yep. I'll be back." With that, he disappeared into the darkness above.

After an hour of waiting, you heard the door above open. Two men walked inside and were then standing above you. "Hey! Is anyone here?!" one shouted.

"Maybe the anonymous note was wrong! Who'd be in a dump like this?" asked the other man.

The first one hit the second in the head. "You idiot! The note said to come to the creepy, abandoned animation studio! It said someone was here! Plus, the amount of money that was with the note argues against the fact that there's nothing here!" he snapped.

"Well, if anyone's here, they sure aren't saying anything!"

"Hey! Down here!" you yelled at them with annoyance. Both of the two guys looked at each other and stared at their feet. Of course, the crazy floor finally revealed the trap that they were standing on. They saw you directly below them.

"H-Hey! There is someone here! Hang tight! Okay?!" the second guy commanded.

"I'm not going anywhere…," you stated with a bored expression.

Sure enough, they finally got you out of the animation studio. The sunlight from the outside struck your face hard. It was the first ray of natural light you felt in days. You had to squint in order to see where you were being taken. Just as you said. The hospital.

"Sheesh! You're super pale! How long have you been down there? Well, that doesn't matter. We're just taking you into the hospital so that they can see if you're really all right! Trust us, you'll be safe," the first guy said.

"I hope so… I'm so going to have to call my parents to explain what happened…"

 **Bendy's P.O.V**

…

"Why, (y/n)?"

…

"Why do you want to befriend a demon?"

…

"Why did I let them take you?"

…

"Why am I talking to you like it matters?

…

"Or am I really that lonely?"

I picked up Bendy Jr. from the ground. It still looked beat up from yesterday when I went on a smashing spree. I squished it a little. It didn't squeak like it used to. Too busted. "Hey Bendy Jr, what do you think I should do?"

 _Why are you asking me?_

"You're right. My answers are always better."

 _That was mean. That's it! I'm calling you in for plushie abuse!_

"You're right, Bendy Jr. I probably deserve to get locked up. However, I've got some new plans on my mind… Ones that'll change both of our lives forever! So, you stay here and watch the place! I'm going to go steal some stuff! BRB!" I yelled to the doll as I set it on the floor as I left.

 _Sure, just abandon the defenseless doll. You're a terrible friend! I bet there are wolves in here!_


	5. Chapter 5 Devil's Advocate

**Chapter 5 Devil's Advocate**

"Hm… I wonder when they'll let me out of here… Hopefully not too much longer…," you said to yourself as you lay back on a soft, white bed. The floor to the animation studio was killing you. Finally. Relief!

Right as you thought those words, a nurse walked into the room holding a clipboard. She circled something and looked up at you warmly. "Good morning, (y/n)! I have great news!"

"I'm being let out?" you guessed.

"I'm afraid not. The doctors want to run a few more tests on you to be sure that you're really ready to go home just yet. Actually, you have some visitors!" she answered.

 _Visitors…?_

Running into the room were your parents. They were teary-eyed and happy to see you. "You're safe! Thank heavens!" they both shouted almost in sync.

When they hugged you, you thought they were holding so tightly that you would pop. The nurse smiled again and left the room.

"Mom… Dad… What are you doing here?" you asked trying not to sound disappointed. You wished that Bendy had broken something that would prevent you parents from being able to squish you in their arms.

"When you were gone for six days, we got worried sick!" your mom exclaimed. She finally released you from the endless hug of death. Your dad did so as soon as she did. Allowing yourself to breathe a moment, you felt the sudden desire to be trapped again with Bendy in the animation studio.

Your dad crossed his arms suddenly cross. "So, why did you run away from home?! How did you break your leg?!" he demanded.

Thoughts of potential lies you could tell flashed through your head. They wouldn't believe the actual story. "Um… It's complicated… You see… Oh man, I'm tired! I should probably take a nap or something. Why don't you come back tomorrow when I'm feeling well?" you asked your parents.

"Now, Miss! I will have none of that from you! You will tell me what happened! All of it!" he commanded forcefully. You shivered and hoped for a miracle. Thankfully, the doctor walked into the room just then.

"OH! Did I interrupt a family reunion? I'm sorry! I'm afraid this is going to have to wait! We're scheduled to do those x-rays now. Please be so kind and wait in the lobby," the doctor said kindly. Your dad scowled a little and nodded.

"Alright… However, you didn't get out of this talk, (y/n)! After you're let out tomorrow, you're coming home with us and explaining everything!" your dad yelled.

"And we're taking away your phone tonight and for the rest of the week!" your mom added before she too followed her husband. She made sure to take the phone with her.

The doctor looked at you and then at the door. He shook his head. "You know, I don't think I should even ask what happened. People these days…"

"Don't I know it!" you replied.

Not so very far away, a certain little demon was spying from the hospital window. He heard everything and knew you were going to be taken home. Of course, he didn't want that and he picked up that you didn't want to go either. He hopped away and made a plan in his head. He was going to break you out! After all, that's what friends are for, right?

"If only this was cartoon land! I wouldn't have to face the laws of life!" Bendy complained. He tapped his foot impatiently on the sidewalk below. If a person saw him, they'd either run by as fast as possible or cross the street to avoid him. That wasn't what mattered to Bendy then. He could only think about you and the rescue plan.

 _What should I do…? Maybe I could tie a rope to the top of the building and carry her down the rope. No… I'm not strong enough… Boris would be able to do that… But he's dead. Stupid Joey made sure of that. OKAY, stay focused! Maybe you could sneak past the security cameras. Are there air vents we can crawl through? She might be too big… I wouldn't have a problem if it was just me… Come on, Bendy! THINK!_

"She's right by the window…"

 _Maybe I could build something like a scaffold? I wouldn't have enough time to… Should I take the chance with the rope?! Will it work? If I do end up losing my grip on her or the rope, someone's going to fall and die!_

"WAIT! THAT'S IT!" Bendy suddenly shouted with an idea. He got out an ink pen and marked a tiny x on the sidewalk that no normal person would be able to notice. Thankfully, he wasn't a normal person. He grinned to himself. "I could put something beneath us to break our fall in case if we do take a tumble! Like pillows, trampolines, or maybe… Ink! I've got plenty of ink! If we fall, I can just summon ink. That should be easy enough to do. I just have to make sure that I summon enough of it to make sure we don't break our necks. Should be simple enough! I'll go get the rope."

Needless to say, the other people on the sidewalks thought he was crazy.

That night, you were staring out the window at all of the stars miserably. You wondered what Bendy was doing. Whatever it was, it had to be better than what you were dealing with. Anything was better than your controlling parents. You turned onto your side and pulled the white covers over your head. An hour went by. You knew sleep wasn't going to come easily. In mid-yawn, you heard a sharp tap on the window. At first, you assumed it wasn't anything to be concerned with. When you heard it again multiple times, you threw the covers off to be surprised by Bendy chilling outside your window. Getting out of bed without stepping on your cast, you opened the window. "Romeo, I presume?"

Bendy laughed awkwardly. "I don't read Shakespeare."

"You barely read at all! You should get more into books!" you told him happily. Escape sounded awesome.

"Yeah, yeah! I've got to get you out of this prison first. You know, before the prisoner transfer!" he stated as he began to tie the rope around you.

"You heard that…?" you asked.

"Your parents are **lovely** people…," Bendy sarcastically claimed with annoyance. Not even your parents could be allowed to talk to you that way in his book. He was looking forward to doing something horrible to them.

You stared out the window with uncertainty. "Bendy…? That's a loooong way down…"

"Last time I said the word long, you tried to throw water on me."

"Oh yeah! Good times…"

"AKA two days ago."

He pulled you up onto the window sill as you tried to not think about the consequences of falling. You held firmly onto his hand just in case. Surely Bendy wouldn't let you fall after all of this time, right? "What do I do…?" you asked staring blankly at the rope.

"Just grab on and we'll try to climb down. I won't let you fall, I swear," Bendy explained seriously. Even his cartoonish smile was serious in the eerie moonlight.

You nod to him slowly. "Okay…" Slowly shifting your weight from the sill of the window to the rope, you adjusted to the situation. Bendy waited for you to begin your climb slowly downwards before he began his. His pitch black eyes watched steadily as the both of you slowly inched your way down. You told yourself not to look down, but something wanted to look anyway. You rejected the thought and just kept going.

"How far up are we?" you asked Bendy curiously.

Bendy glanced up and then down. "We're about seven stories up."

"Oh man…," was all you could say in response.

You made it about three stories down when your hands started getting tired. Clinging to the rope was starting to hurt. You were still four stories up! It would still be dangerous to fall!

"Bendy! I don't think I can go on much longer!" you complained gripping the rope tighter in fear.

Bendy didn't know what to say. "Just hang on as long as you can! I've got a backup plan!"

"WHAT BACKUP PLAN?!"

"You're just going to have to trust me, (y/n)!" he snapped. That was a good enough answer for you! You continued your descent once more.

"Fine! I trust you, Bendy!"

Somewhere in the trees, a gun poked out. It looked left, looked right, aimed, and then fired! The bullet whizzed through the air and scraped the side of the rope. It was just enough. The rope withered and shook before eventually snapping! The gun might've grinned if it had a face. But it didn't. The owner, on the other hand, did. They were grinning like there was no tomorrow before vanishing into the trees.

Just before this happened, you began to panic. You noticed Bendy look up in terror towards the trees. Something was there. Something was watching. Then, there was a BANG! Bendy's eyes seemed to flare flames of anger when you finally realized what happened. Someone shot the rope. You yelled in alarm as you began to fall faster. Within a split second, Bendy grabbed onto you and shot a flood of ink from his hand. It reminded you of how a superhero would in those movies you'd sometimes watch.

"Hang on and brace yourself!" Bendy yelled to you as the wind whipped past your ears and through your hair.

Within a millisecond, you both landed in the giant lake of ink on the ground. Black was slathered across the universe and you couldn't process what just happened. Whatever it was, you were glad that Bendy was still protecting you. You wondered where in the world the ink came from because matter couldn't be created or destroyed. It didn't matter to you. You were just glad that you didn't die.

"Hey! We survived!" Bendy pointed out as he glanced around at all of the ink.

"Really…? I didn't notice… What happened?!" you demanded as you wiped away the ink from your eyes. You were drenched in black. If you didn't grow up around the scent and substance of ink, it would have been terrible. You knew you'd have to go shopping for new clothes. Even if you tried to get the stains out, you'd still look like a dirty chimney sweep. It smelled like you landed in a pit of sharpies without any of their caps on. You coughed.

To answer your question, Bendy fished a bullet from a nearby bush. He presented the small object to you with a grim expression. "Someone was trying to murder us."

Dread flooded through your veins and the shock of once again nearly being murdered came racing back. "Do you know who did it?"

"I only saw the gun."

"Oh."

"Whoever they were… I'M GOING TO SHOOT THEIR STUPID FACE MYSELF! What kind of person goes shooting at others for no reason?!" Bendy demanded as he began dramatically pacing the sidewalk and punching the air. He looked down at his bow tie. "My swag bow tie was stained black. I'm going to have to find another one…"

"Who cares about your bow tie?! We nearly got killed!" you announced wanting to wring his neck for pointing out something so unimportant. You then realized that he didn't exactly have a neck. What kind of sorcery was this?!

"Hey! My bow tie means a lot to me! Haven't you ever watched Doctor Who? Bow ties are cool. I was thinking about getting a fez along with it," Bendy said as he finally helped you up from the ground.

Trying not to slip in the ink, you carefully put all of your weight on the right foot and limped beside Bendy down the sidewalk. He stabilized you by acting as a support and tried to keep you from limping too bad. "Gee, I wonder why the doctor didn't give me crutches like they would for anyone else! Well, what do we do now…?" you asked trying not to feel miserable.

Bendy glanced up at the sky and at the stars. "Well, do you want to go back to the studio?" he asked thoughtfully.

"No. Not really…"

"Since that's the case, I think I know where we can go. It's a little far, though. You think you can manage?" he asked.

"Wherever it is, I'm sure it'll be better than that dusty basement, the stuffy hospital, my lousy parents, and the perilous rope."

Bendy nodded and slowly you made your way to this mysterious place in the dark moonlight. The thriller you just experienced did get you thinking. First Bendy goes on a murder spree, and then he saves you? That didn't agree with you. In general, Bendy hated humanity. You sort of did too. Maybe Henry was right all that time ago. You do have a lot in common with Bendy. Maybe more now than then.

"Well, no matter what happens, I'm always on your side, Bendy. I kinda understand why you don't really like humans. They don't understand you and run away screaming. They don't understand me either and I think I know why you feel and act the way you do. You loathe your creators because they leave you alone in a broken world with people who hate you because they didn't care. I feel that every day. There's nobody in this world who really loves me or even cares. Not my parents, my grandpa, my schoolmates…, and not anybody. I guess when Grandpa Joey told me that they'd kill me if I went back, I might have secretly wanted that. Then, maybe for once people would understand how broken inside I was… To die is the only escape from this prison… Is that what you feel? Is that why you want them all to die…?" you asked him.

The intensity of your words moved him. He couldn't help but wonder how you figured it out. "Yeah."

A thick silence hung over you. A wolf howled in the distance and you saw Bendy stiffen. You knew he missed his best friend, but you didn't know how to help. Joey's knowledge of supernatural forces was beyond you. Boris was Bendy's only real friend and Joey just took him away. Something struck your heart at the thought of him being alone for so long. You made a decision. Joey Drew was getting paid a visit in the morning whether if he was insane or not.


	6. Chapter 6 Reflections

**Chapter 6 Reflections**

It was still extremely dark and only growing darker still. Most of the sky was blocked by the buildings that surrounded you. All you could think about was what you were going to say to Joey when you met up with him. Also, would Bendy approve of what you were planning to do? Would he shut up and live with it or feel betrayed? Maybe he'll ask to go with you just so he can kill Joey. That would probably be the worst case scenario.

"Hey, uh, you've been quiet. Thinking something important?" Bendy questioned when the silence started to get to him.

"No… I was just daydreaming," you lied.

"What about?" he asked curiously.

You decided to be as honest as possible. "Well, it was about Boris. It just feels weird to me that you're working alone and solo without friends. Usually, when pulling off a scheme, you always have Boris there to play sidekick!"

Bendy sighed and glanced towards the ground. "Been a long time since I've had a sidekick or a friend… I guess I never really told you what happened to him, did I? Well, you don't want to know the whole story. It's the one story that should never be told. So I'm not."

"Where are we? Are you sure you know the way back?" you questioned as you glanced around. Everything was unfamiliar to you.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. We should be fine. I could find my way back if I were on Mars. We'll be there any minute now!" Bendy announced as he began to walk off of the sidewalk and far into the grass. You walked and walked until the town was far from view.

A bright ripple of light flashed over a hilltop of wildflowers. More commonly known as weeds that try to look pretty. You had to squint when you realized it was moonlight reflecting off of water. A large lake was right before you and your breath was taken.

Bendy seemed equally amazed. His fist was clenched and his eyes nearly sparkled. The night sky seemed to illuminate in the reflected light from the lake. It was almost like glass. A shiny stain glass window that was the gateway to another world. Like from those books that you'd always read.

"I've only seen this place in pictures Joey showed me. I've always wanted to see it. Nobody lives around here, it's quiet, it's peaceful, and it's beautiful. It wouldn't look nearly as nice in a cartoon that's black and white," Bendy said as he approached the water's edge. He dared not to touch it for his sake, but staring into his reflection was mesmerizing.

 _So that's the demon who killed Henry and fell in love almost on the same day…_

You sat on the ground in front of the water. Bendy sat beside you and flicked a rock into the lake. It made many small ripples shoot through the water. Desperately, you searched for a good conversation topic. Before you could come up with one, a frog jumped up onto a lily pad. Bendy sprang away from it in terror.

"What the heck is that… MONSTROSITY?!" he demanded as he pointed to the frog sitting on the lily pad. You laughed at his fear of such an innocent thing.

"Bendy, that's just a frog! It's completely harmless!" you explained still trying not to giggle at his description of the frog. He just had a way with adjectives sometimes.

Bendy stared at the frog and inched a little closer. The frog gazed sullenly into the demon's jet-black eyes. Neither of them moved. Both of them were waiting for the other to do something. Bendy acted first. "Uh…, hello… slimy, aquatic creature. I'm Bendy."

"Crrroooooooak."

"What kind of a greeting was that?! Do you have a sore throat or something because you sounded awful!" Bendy exclaimed at hearing the frog's voice.

You started laughing harder. "Maybe you should give it a big kiss to make it feel better!" Picking up the frog without letting it get away, you thrust it in his face. "Come on, Bendy! Kiss it!"

"No way! Get that… THING out of my face! I'm not kissing a stupid frog! What even made you think of something like that?! I knew you were crazy!" Bendy shouted turning away from the frog.

You inched closer. "I'm only kidding! I wouldn't actually have you kiss a frog. If I did, I'd be sent to a penitentiary!" you chirped putting the frog back onto the lily pad. It seemed extremely annoyed and swam off.

"I don't think people get sent to penitentiaries for forcing others to kiss frogs. That's not exactly a serious crime or anything. Not that it's a good thing or anything!" Bendy established and you shrugged.

"I suppose that is true," you said and flopped onto your back now bored of the crystal water. The cool grass made for nature's finest mattress and the stars made for the universe's finest little night lights. There was hardly any life at all around the pond besides the frog. Sometimes, you'd hear an occasional cricket chirp, but that was mostly it. You were tired. It was far after midnight and it took a lot of your energy just to get here.

"Have you ever been stargazing…?" you asked as you stifled a yawn. Bendy shook his head and settled back into the grass with you.

Once he drew his eyes to the night above, once more, his words were stolen. Yet again, he never knew the actual beauty of the night sky until right then. The moon was a lot brighter than it was in the cartoons he was in. He and Boris would sometimes howl at the moon for no real reason, but it was nothing like this.

"It's pretty, right? I honestly can't think of anything more beautiful than this. My parents would never understand this feeling. They just can't let go of their precious little child who's actually an adult. But this is as free as I've ever been. I've never done anything daring or exciting. I've never escaped from a hospital without permission or anything. Everyone had such a tight hold that I never got to do anything. Not even look at the night sky," you said drifting away.

"How does someone take the sky away from you?"

You remembered and shook your head. "They would always close the curtain. Locking all the windows and drawing shut all the drapes, they'd make sure that nothing happened to me. Then one day, a crazy old man burst into my house giving me the excuse I needed. And here I am."

"Joey."

"Yeah…"

You yawned again and shut your eyes for a moment. Bendy hopped up and shook you a little by the shoulder. "Hey! You're not falling asleep on me again, are you?!" he demanded.

"Why not…?" you asked with your eyes still shut.

"We're out in the middle of a field in the middle of the night. Anyone can find us here! Anything can happen! What if it rains?!" he asked looking for any rain clouds.

"Then why'd you bring us here…? I can't exactly walk back, you know…"

Finally, he gave in to you. Sighing to himself, he shrugged and nodded. "Fine. Not like I have much of a choice. Of course, I have to listen to the crazy person who tried to get me to kiss a frog."

You snickered at his comment. "You're adorable, Bendy."

"Why do I have to be adorable?! I'm being serious! If anyone's adorable, it's not me! It's- Uh… Someone else!" he said evading who specifically he was thinking of.

"Don't deny it. You are adorable…"

Bendy crossed his arms defiantly. In reality, everyone said he was adorable. Even Boris said so once or twice. He wasn't sure if you were saying it the same way they did, though. "Well, are you taking a nap or not?"

"Zzzzzzzzz…"

"Should've known."

After only a minute of listening to occasional cricket chirps, Bendy got bored. He stared at you and allowed his mind to wander a little. It went back to a moment in the past and stayed there a moment. Back in the projector, he sat beside Boris. The only person he could really rely on at the time.

"So…, rough day, huh?" Boris asked Bendy.

Bendy nodded in response to his friend's question. Then, he just shrugged like it was nothing. "I suppose nothing rougher than usual. Joey's being just as cryptic as he always is. Always going down to the basement and muttering to himself for some reason. He should understand that this is why the animators left."

"You look a little more down than normal. That was the reason I asked," he explained. Then he thought for a moment about what it might be about.

"Joey's been… all over the place lately. Sane one minute, crazy the next! What do you suppose that means for us? I couldn't help but wonder if (y/n) is crazy too… That if craziness runs in the family or something. If that's the case…, I don't know. I'm not good at this stuff…," Bendy stated trying to figure out all of the mysteries of Joey. Joey would forever remain unknown to all of them.

"I don't think that she'll be crazy, Bendy. You saw her! Completely normal!" Boris argued.

Bendy shrugged again. "Yeah, but she's 15 now. I don't know how different she is. Heck, she probably doesn't even remember me! Seven years stuck here…"

"Remember how we used to joke around about you and her? I'd say, "Dude, you're going to marry her one day." Then, you'd say, "Shut up!" And then I'd laugh!

"Oh yeah. But seriously, it's not going to happen. She's not coming back. I'm only ever going to hear her again from Joey. He's not going to make us real! We're going to be stuck here forever!" Bendy announced as he walked off of the projector screen.

"Quit lying to yourself, Bendy. None of those things you said were true."

Bendy blinked back to reality. Sure enough, he was there. He was alive. You were there with him. Boris was right about all but one thing. "She was crazy all along, Boris. Just not the maniac kind…"

Still lying on the grass facing the sky, he looked back to the woods and saw something. It swooshed away as soon as he looked at it. The strange object was too fast to get a good look. He hoped it was a rabbit, but his gut told him it wasn't. Fear rippled through him like the ripples in the lake. It was replaced by the anger from earlier. He could've sworn he saw the smiling gun grinning in the moonlight.


	7. Chapter 7 If I Only Had A Heart

**Hello, guys! I wanted to thank you for all of the support on this and I didn't expect for this story to really get off of the ground or anything. This is probably where I try to reintroduce the one flaw that Bendy has because he's a demon and what can you say? In this, he's mad at Joey! And I'll let you figure out the rest. Anyway, after this chapter, I'm putting up an** **IMPORTANT** **author's note. Just telling you now so be prepared. Back to reading because these are boring details and who likes reading boring details?!**

 **Chapter 7 If I Only Had A Heart**

Waking up in the grass, you felt refreshed. Birds sang, grass all around, and a demon staring intently from the sidelines with those Pacman eyes. Of course, he was still adorable but seemed more cautious than ever.

"Morning, Bendy… What's got you acting like this?" you asked stretching to get ready for your day.

Rather than responding, Bendy plucked something from the ground. Another bullet. You shuddered as you recognized it from the day before. "The gun… How do you always find the bullets?! But more importantly, they came back?!"

"Yep. At first, I thought it was an illusion, but that wasn't the case. They tried to fire once, they missed, and then they ran off some place," he explained.

You hugged your knees and thought about it. Finally, you replied. "I want to go see Joey…"

The surprise in his voice was astounding. You thought that you just told him that you lit the fuse to a bomb that would destroy the world. "YOU WANT TO SEE THE TRAITOR?!"

"Yes."

Just the thought of Joey made him clench his fists. He could feel his heart rate leap to a triple digit number. He finally spat out the obvious question. "Why?! After everything he did to the both of us, you want to see him?!"

You ignored his anger and calmly watched the wind gently blow the grass. It helped you think. "It's the only way I can repay you."

Bendy's anger melted away into yet more confusion. "Repay me? How? Also, what have I done that needs to be repaid? I literally haven't done anything besides try living some life for once. Joey's not going to be able to solve anything. If anything, he's only going to make more problems for the both of us!"

"Maybe, but I need to know something! I need to know if I can fix it! I'll never unsee what I saw until I undo everything that Joey originally did!" you shouted.

Joey's dark, deceiving eyes leaped through Bendy's mind. Suddenly, an idea sparked in his eyes. An evil plan up his sleeves. A larger grin slowly crawled onto his face and his eyes gleamed with the sweet thought of his revenge. "Honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about, but why should I care?! After all, I'm sure there's bound to be something there that'll ease your mind. After all, we all have friends to keep us from going crazy, right? So, it would make sense that I did you this one favor…," Bendy stated sounding extremely sly.

It was easy to tell that Bendy wasn't simply allowing you to go visit Joey. You could hear the scheme he was coming up with in his voice. You could see the evil plan he was making in his eyes. The truth of the matter was that he wasn't going to see Joey unless if he got his way. Being surprised was the last thing you were because you kind of expected him to act like that. However, you knew that if you rejected him of this opportunity, he would never take you to see Joey. So, instead of arguing, you nodded. "Thank you, Bendy… I still don't approve of murder… I just wanted to say in case… you wanted to not do that. I like you a lot more when you don't try to kill people."

Bendy was completely unphased by your words. He helped you once again to your feet with the evil expression still completely clear. "I know."

Walking the entire way back was quite the trip. Bendy finally seemed to calm down and became rather bored with the trip himself. To pass the time, you asked him to tell you about what his career as a cartoon was like. Having to be able to adjust to the situation, always having a witty one-liner, or just defying the laws of physics had to be hard work. The demon just sort of shrugged his shoulders like he just didn't really care.

"Being a cartoon is easy. We have a motto. Whether if you talk to an old cartoon or a new one, they'll all probably say the same things. 'You can do whatever you want just so long as you're having the time of your life'. The purpose behind it is that if you're off doing what makes you laugh or happy, then the audience is most likely laughing too. So, I just decided to be as crazy as possible to get me highest on the popularity list," Bendy explained.

Fascinated, you continued your interview. "Well, what were the animators like?"

"They were very lousy at their jobs! None of the animations were being finished on time and they wouldn't stop complaining behind Joey's back. It got really annoying after a while. Of course, that had to be expected. They did think Joey was crazy. I didn't believe them at the time, but now I know they were right all along," he finished thinking back to that recording of the two employees that you found on the wall back in the studio.

The sun was high in the sky by the time the both of you reached the retirement home. Bendy at this point figured that it would've been better if he followed out of sight. He said he could fit easily in an air vent due to his small size and because he was made mostly out of ink. You agreed and made your way inside.

After a swift conversation with the lady behind the desk, you were able to figure out the room number. Wandering around the halls was really quite the adventure itself. You were wondering if Bendy was watching you get lost. Maybe he was lost himself? You didn't know anymore. Finally, after fifteen minutes of wandering around, you found the room number. Room 126 on the second floor was what you stood before. Slowly, you knocked on the door.

 _Knock knock knock…_

"Come in," a voice said from the other side. You recognized the voice instantly and you forced yourself to open the door. It slowly creaked as you looked in. All in all, the room itself wasn't too threatening. It was the plan that was probably going down in Bendy's mind that was.

"Um… Grandpa Joey?" you asked slowly.

The man was lying on a white bed and his eyes widened at the sound of your voice. If he was allowed to, he would have jumped up and taken you into his arms, but he couldn't. Your heartbeat raced like a herd of wild wildebeest. There in that room with the man who ruined everything that your childhood hero had. You approached.

"Why…, I can't believe it… I thought I'd never see you again. You must have taken my advice on not going back because… you're here."

Your hands shook and slowly your eyes dropped to the floor. Sucking in a breath, you asked what you came to figure out. "What happened to Boris…?"

He realized that, in fact, quite the opposite of what he said happened. You were only still alive because Bendy wanted you to live. If you weren't on his good side, he probably would've sent you on your way to visit Henry. That was the last thing you wanted.

"So…, you did go to see for yourself what happened there… It's a long story. You might want to sit down because I also have many questions for you," Joey explained. You sat on the chair at his bedside. Listening closely, he asked the obvious question. "How were you able to escape alive?"

Thinking about the question, you realized that the answer was extremely simple. "Bendy wanted me to stay there with him. He was alone there so long and we were friends those many years ago. He was just mad at you, Henry, and everyone who didn't at least try to understand him, so he wanted revenge. I was the only one he didn't want to end. If he killed me, he'd still be alone there in the animation studio. I think he wanted me to be there…"

Joey looked amazed by your story. He slowly exhaled. "That was very gutsy of you to return to that place. However, if you want to hear about Boris, you must promise not to tell Bendy anything. I know you're friends, but there's a lot that he didn't know. So many things…"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just promise that he'll never know and my mind will be at ease!" Joey commanded. You jumped at his sudden change in volume so much that you had to nod. He was scary when he got like that. You could only imagine what Bendy was thinking. You didn't even know if he was there.

Joey settled back down with the sudden maniac look gone. He heaved a heavy sigh and looked around. "It was supposed to be an experiment. I wanted to be sure that Bendy would be a success, so I decided to start with Boris. At first, the construction of his body was going just fine, but then something happened. It took me six years to make one heart that could support life. I wrote down how to successfully make it. The heart was just fine and the brain was actually easy, it was the body that failed. Everything went wrong and I knew Boris was going to die anyway. I just had to make sure that all of my work wasn't for nothing… So I removed his heart completely and preserved it. I figured I could just make a new one! I could try again!" Joey stopped after he said this.

You were leaning forward trying to figure out everything that happened. So, Boris was the guinea pig? While you thought that playing with life was stupid, you couldn't help but think that it wasn't all Joey's fault. When Joey began speaking again, what he said changed everything in the story.

"I still had one heart… It could support life… So I used the heart I gave to Boris to support Bendy's life instead…"

Your blood froze. Bendy had Boris's, heart?! You could almost partially understand why Bendy was so dead set on killing Joey now. To give him the heart of his best friend just to let him live but let Boris die to do it? That was so wrong it was too hard to process it. Above you, a scream of anger and agony at the truth rang out. Every feeling in you flashed into fear and you jumped backward into a wall. The truth hurt. You could only imagine how Bendy felt. You didn't want to know what Bendy felt. Joey was horrified.

"Wh-Who was that?!" he demanded looking all around trying to find the source of the noise.

Shivering, you looked towards the air vent. A puddle of ink leaked out onto the floor and materialized into Bendy. Joey screamed in terror as he flung himself back against the end of his bed. Bendy took a step forward slowly. Black ink was gushing from his eyes. You could tell that he was on the edge of weeping. Ink splattered all over the floor.

"Bendy, I-" you said but he didn't hear. He could only stare at Joey with his ink flooding eyes. What really made it quite scary was that he was still grinning. "Why…?"

"B-Bendy! H-How did you-"

"WHY…?"

With every why he took a few more steps forward. Everyone could hear their hearts pounding. You wondered if Bendy was thinking about it being Boris's heart ringing in his ears. Faster, faster, faster it went. The tension levels rose only higher like pressure in a gauge.

"Bendy… No… Please don't do what you tried to do last time! Please don't do what you did last time!" Joey screamed.

"WHY, JOEY…? I had thought I could let it go… For (y/n), I would never kill again, but now…? Would she understand if I sliced your head off with an axe? If I drowned you in ink like Henry? If I suffocated you with my own hands?!" Bendy demanded.

"Bendy, don't-!" you yelled, but once again he didn't seem to hear.

"You just don't get that this hurts! It hurts too much! This needs to stop! I don't want to do this, but if it means avenging Boris… If it means finally being free of everything! I'll kill you… I'll kill you here and now… I'll do it! I don't want to! Oh, how I don't want to! But for you, it's completely worth doing!" he announced. The jet black ink was flooding over his eyes and face to the point where you could only see the evil, deathly grin.

You shook your head almost in terror. Joey gave one more feeble attempt. "No! Please don't! You're making a mistake!"

"Making no mistake, Joey! This is my victory! This is my life! You gave it to me, so I should be free to do what I want with it!"

Bendy raised his hand ready to drown Joey for his wrongdoings. Finally, it became too much for you. You couldn't allow him to kill your grandfather even if Joey had a twisted soul. You rushed forward without thinking and wrapped your arms around him tightly to restrain him. Everyone in the room froze except for you. Every muscle and bone in your body were shaking. Despite your fears, you didn't let go.

"(Y/N)..., let go… Please…"

"I won't… I can't let you do this… Not even Joey deserves this. Let's go back… and forget this even happened. I don't want to simply sit here and watch him die! You can't do this! And I'm not going to let go until you promise!" you shouted at him.

Silence dominated words. The room became overwhelmingly hot. The rapid beating of your heart only made you tremble more. It was like in a movie when one of the characters goes out of control and someone else has to stop them. However, the moment extended from seconds to minutes. You couldn't hear a sound. Maybe Bendy was slowly choking to death on words he couldn't even bring himself to say. It felt like your embrace stopped time. Black ink still ran down the sides of his face. It felt like a burden just to breathe.

"It's… going to be over soon. You'll never have to feel this again… Because I'll make sure of it, and I want to fix what he did. I'm going to do the impossible."

"What do you mean by that…?" he asked.

"I think… I know how to bring him back. Without Joey's help."

…

A distant sound outside the window seemed to wake him up from his trance. A robin chirped and flew away into the distance completely unaware of what happened. Heaving a sigh, he rested his hand on yours. "Fine… If that's what you want…, I'll do it… It's hard to reject my violent nature, but for you, I'll do it."

Gently, you released him from your trap and he rubbed the ink off of his face. Joey was still terrified and you were still breathing hard, but most of the tension was gone. You turned to Joey. "We'll be leaving now…"

Bendy cast one final hostile look towards Joey and then left without a word. Out in the hallway, he looked towards the floor. "I guess I'm not your adorable little Bendy anymore, huh?" he asked.

"Don't kid yourself. I don't hold it against you. If it were me, I'd be mad too. You may be a little rough around the edges, but you'll always be my adorable little Bendy."

You weren't sure, but you could've sworn he was blushing. 'Heh,' you thought to yourself. 'Maybe a little bit too adorable when not wanting to kill someone'.


	8. Author's Note IMPORTANT!

**Author's Note**

This is very important! Since BATIM Chapter 2 is now out, I realize that this story will quickly become outdated and will more than likely be far, far, far off the plot. So, this is what I've decided for this story. I'm going to have a vote. A vote on whether if I should leave this story alone until the entire game is finished, to stop the story entirely and wait until the entire game is finished until I make it, or I can continue to make this despite the fact that it is completely wrong from the game and lacks the details of chapter two with wrong info. Well, that's my offer everybody! I'm not going to continue updating this until I get **at least five** votes supporting or not supporting this decision. I will continue writing this just in case so I'm not behind on the updating. Thank you all for reading this story up to this point and be sure to tell me what you think. ^w^

Sincerely, ckaira77/ZairaDrayan.


	9. Chapter 8 World's Smallest Violin

**Chapter 8 World's Smallest Violin**

 **Well, I've determined from the many votes I obtained that I'm going to continue this story and just say that it's taking place in an alternate universe. Once this story is done and the game has been finished, I'll write another Bendy x Reader that is canon with the plot of the game. Once again, thanks for the support and all of those votes!**

The animation studio was dark and you glanced around. The place really needed some windows. Blinking the memory of earlier from your eyes, you asked a question. "Hey, Bendy! How did you survive in this horrible place for ten years without going insane?!" you demanded.

Earlier, you asked him if he could find the book you found before you broke your leg. ' _The Illusion Of Living'_ was the title of it if you remembered right. So, he was on the other end of the studio and was book hunting. "I used my imagination a lot!" he shouted in response.

"Anything yet?!" you demanded.

"Nope!"

He came running back from wherever he was and dusted himself off. You scratched the back of your neck awkwardly. "Really? Nothing?"

He thoughtfully glanced towards the floorboards and then snapped his fingers with an idea. "It could be downstairs! A lot of things get lost down there for eternity. I wouldn't be surprised," he said. Then his face darkened a moment. "Although, you might want to stay here while I go get it…"

"Why? I want to go with you!" you said with a confused expression.

Bendy remembered everything that was down there and shook his head at you. "You know how basements are! They're dark, scary, and probably full of spiders! You don't want to see the condition of the basement…"

Placing your hands on your hips, you held up your argument. "Yeah? What's so scary about that?! Bacon soup?! I'm sure that if anything's down there, we can handle it! Do you want your friend to come back to life or not?"

Bendy shook his head. "Not if it means going there. You REALLY don't want to go down into my basement. There's a lot more than bacon soup taking over the place. Especially since I think it has what I fear most."

"Spiders?" you asked.

"No… It's way worse… If you trust me at all, you'll stay here…," he almost begged. His hands rested on your shoulders and his eyes burned into yours. It was obvious he was serious and he was trying to protect you from something, but you wanted to know what from.

Rolling your eyes slightly and exhaling slowly you nodded. "Fine… I'll stay here… But I really don't want to. Just be quick, okay?"

"I'll be less than a minute!" Bendy chirped and he sprinted away back towards the stairs that you discovered when the two men got you out to get you medical treatment. You should've known that this would be a lie.

You would have followed him, but you were stuck upstairs because of your broken leg. There were a few ink puddles on the floor that you didn't recognize that startled you. It was just ink! Why was it so ominous? Bendy was taking forever and you tapped your right foot as you sat on the floor. Finally, you got up to look at the loose video reels to see what you could find.

Volumes 1-10.

They were on the bookshelf where books should've been. Lifting up the reels, you placed the first into the video projector. Bendy didn't show even after you watched all of the cartoons. Bendy looked more adorable in the cartoon than the real world. Well, it was sort of hard to not be adorable when you're drawn that way.

Volumes 11-15

You found them in an office. It was hard to break open the door, but you did it. Another reel contained all of the removed scenes from Adventures of Bendy, The Dancing Demon. You turned the projector back on and began watching. Most of them were just little snippets of scenes or dialogue that were pointless or were cut because the episodes were made too long. Some were really good and some were just confusing. However, there was one at the end that really stuck with you. A certain song that Bendy sang that was cut for some reason as adorable as it was.

 _I've heard the term so many times…_

 _And it's new from her…_

 _It sounds the same but feelings are a blur!_

 _Can't help but wonder why._

 _Her eyes I love about her._

 _Her dress as smooth as glass._

 _I've never been a crier,_

 _But it was I she could surpass!_

 _I need a little darlin' devil with me._

 _I need a little darlin' devil with me…_

 _In a world that's full of color_

 _And rainbows in the summer._

 _I'll find myself never_

 _Again with a bummer!_

 _Friends that are endearing_

 _I won't get tired of hearing…_

 _But sometimes I feel alone_

 _And unloved…_

 _But maybe with my Darlin' Devil_

 _I will have no troubles!_

 _It'll just be a-her and a-me!_

 _I need a little darlin' devil with me!_

 _With those crystal eyes_

 _And no one denies!_

 _And as all can see…_

 _She'll be mine…_

When the song ended, you wondered why they'd take such an adorable song out from the show. You pondered exactly who he was singing about. You doubted it was Alice Angel. She wasn't a darlin' devil. She was a darlin' angel with horns. It didn't fit with any of the episodes and you just wondered if the producers were experimenting with his personality a little in case if they did want to give him a potential love. Whatever happened to that plot? Maybe the episodes were too short to really add that in or they just decided that it wasn't in Bendy's personality to really sing something like this. Still intrigued, you removed the reel and clicked off the projector.

You were tired of watching the wall and tried to look around a little more. There was a loud _CRASH!_ in the basement. It sounded like cymbals falling to the floor. Realizing that something was going on beneath your feet made you worry more. You'd never been downstairs before except for when you fell through the floor. Was Bendy playing around with cymbals or was something going on?

Another twenty minutes went by and finally, you found a book lying on the floor. It wasn't the one you were looking for, but it was something. Sitting on a chair and flicking on a light, you glanced over the cover. "The Diary of Henry Drew," you read aloud. Interest shot through you instantly and you whipped it open to the first page.

August 3, 19XX

 _Today, I start my first day here drawing cartoons for my dad. He asked for my brother to join him, but my little brother just can't draw to save his life. He's too busy trying to get a girlfriend to help him make some money without him having to work hard. He was never a hard worker, so I'm not surprised. I don't want to settle down with anyone. I work hard. I guess that's what separates us and makes us different. Anyway, dad had us start coming up with comic ideas. Something drew me towards drawing something a little bit like Mickey Mouse. I love drawing Mickey Mouse. His design is simple. However, I messed up while drawing and his head looked like it had horns. Instead of redrawing it, I continued to work off of it. Before I knew it, I had an original cartoon. It looked like a demon, but why should that scare anyone? He could be a happy demon! He could be… The Dancing Demon! I've been trying to think up names, but haven't come up with anything yet. Oh well. I hope Joey Drew's proud of this one!_

August 4, 19XX

 _He liked the idea! Never before have I ever seen him so accepting of something I made. Joey said that my idea might be the start of a completely new era of cartoons! I smiled proudly and I'm getting in more drawing practice. I hope this one drawing changes the world for the better._

You stopped reading from Henry's diary for a moment. How old was he at this point? You remembered that it was by his own creation that he died. Sorry, Henry. That one drawing wasn't for the greater good.

Skipping ahead to a point in time where you were alive just to see if he said anything about you, there was an interesting entry around the middle.

June 15, 19XX

 _It was a hard day for all of us. I won't be surprised if (y/n) doesn't want to speak to me ever again after what I've done. It was the last episode of the only show she ever got attached to and she's my only niece. I think I lost her forever. Well, Joey told me earlier he had a plan that would change everything. He said that with the help of the head music producer, Sammy Laurence, we'd be able to do something that was never done before. I heard him talking to Bendy in the projector again. I knew (y/n) liked him, but I never thought he'd like her back. He seemed really depressed which is very unlike him. It's a good thing Boris was there to keep him from going nuts, but he was… monotone. I know Bendy's already black and white, but now he seems to be fitting that description down to the letter in personality. There's no going back now. Joey promised me that Bendy would be real. If that's what the boss says…, then that's what the boss gets._

July 3, 19XX

 _That's it, Joey! I'm done! I've seen everything you've done and you can't do this to them! It's wrong! Sammy Laurence should've known better than to let you do it! To HELP you do it! I'm not coming back. I'm quitting this job. I'm joining my wife in Maine. She's very good with hunting rifles and cooking tools. If you ever try to pull any stunts on me… On (y/n)... Any of us! I'll make sure she ends your murderous way there and then… This very entry is my resignation to the cartoon business. Face it, Joey, Bendy's show was never supposed to come back from the dead. Sincerely, your son…_

You looked up from the diary with fascination. Henry was probably the smartest of the three. You never really knew much about Sammy besides the fact that he controlled the music and that people would complain about him behind his back. He also didn't really seem to get along with Joey all that well. It was almost like they both had two different goals and put up with each other just to reach those goals.

Being deep in thought, you forgot about Bendy being downstairs. You were reminded when another noise erupted from the basement. Sounded almost like distorted whispers. You trembled at the sound. To calm yourself, you read more of Henry's diary.

On another random date, you fund a picture of Henry's family. He had a son and a wife. He mentioned that he was going to move to Maine with his wife. His son died in a boating accident a few years ago. It was strange since it was your cousin who you never got to know. You read a small caption on the bottom that listed the names. Henry Drew, Reina Lee, and Oliver Drew. The thing that stood out most to you was the hunting rifle in your aunt's hands. It almost seemed familiar.

Rapid footsteps raced up to you and Bendy finally reappeared from the basement below. He looked exhausted from something. You didn't care to ask from what.

His eyes were fixed to a book in his hands. It was stained in ink, but still readable. The title was the one you were waiting to see all day. ' _The Illusion Of Living'_. You placed your hands on the cover and watched all of the dust fly off of it.

"Well? What happened?!" you demanded as you put down the journal. Bendy glanced out towards the door and shook his head.

"There were these ink monsters and cardboard versions of me all over the place. Plus, I think I found Sammy! I was wondering what happened to him all of that time! Sadly…, he didn't meet a very nice fate. I got a blast from the past in the orchestra room and the basement became flooded, so I got stuck there while chugging bacon soup," he explained.

"Sounds like a bunch of excuses! I haven't seen any monsters, music producers, or bacon soup! It doesn't matter anyway because every little noise made me jump when I wasn't drowning myself in distractions… I hate being alone in creepy places," you said as you wearily put your head down on the desk. The building itself seemed to breathe the way that old buildings do when they're old. You shivered.

Bendy turned and walked out of the room a moment. He came back a minute later with a violin. He drew his bow and began to softly play a slow waltz tune. Your eyes fluttered from him to the strings and back to him again. He wasn't a bad violinist. Always kept perfectly in time and soothed your ears.

"When'd you learn to play that?" you asked.

He didn't even pause or stop to think when you asked. "I'm self-taught. I guess it was just something I always knew how to do. Henry did decide to make me a musical genius. I just happened to like the violin."

As he looped his violin song once more, you began to hum along with it. The violin sings with a voice of gold. The voice gives a gentle reply. A demon plays with sincerity to her. Her eyes gaze back with wonder.

 _I can hear_

 _A song_

 _Speaking here_

 _So long._

 _The golden rays of day_

 _Fly the days away._

 _Even through the night_

 _I see his eyes gleam bright._

 _There is still a place_

 _There is still a place…_

 _In a dream._

A violin playing into the night. The lyrics that pierce his heart bring sorrow and love. Her heart racing as she feels something new. Secretly, they both thought the same thing.

 _I love you… I love you… I love you…_


	10. Chapter 9 A Long Night

**Chapter 9 A Long Night**

It was a long night for the both of you. Looking at a very confusing book about how to create life. Understanding it required a large dictionary and lots of context clues. Bendy had no idea it would be so complicated. About half way through the book, you could tell the sun was going down. You didn't need to look outside to figure that out. Apparently, in order to create him, the items would have to be put on the pedestals again and the ink machine would have to be rewired. The heart would have to be remade and Joey said that the brain was easy. In the middle of the night, you began to yawn as you read Joey's book. Bendy noticed and snatched the book from you.

"Okay! That's enough reading for one day! I know you like books, but I didn't think this much!" he stated.

You smiled warmly and playfully tried to snatch the book back from him. "You still need to read Romeo and Juliet!"

Bendy held the book over his head. It wasn't fair because you wouldn't be able to stand up to snatch it from him. You began to wonder if you were at the disadvantage just because of your left leg. Bendy grinned impishly. "I told you, I don't read Shakespeare! Besides, I wouldn't even call this literature!"

"Anything with words is literature, Bendy!" you told him as you made another feeble swing at the book.

"Pfft! Literature or lunacy!? A book about something that shouldn't have ever been tampered with. Look, I suppose that I'll have to give you this book back, but not until you sleep!" he said as he opened the book to a random page and glanced over it for no particular reason.

You looked at the many pages of written notes you took that were on Henry's old desk. You had been there for a while. Despite that, you didn't want to give in so easily. "So what if it's a little late? I can handle it. I can go all night without even trying to…," you said trying to stifle a yawn. You failed.

Bendy nodded with a knowing look. "Uh-huh. That gal from last night who was with me who begged me to let her sleep is now begging me to let her pull an all-nighter. Well, you'll thank me later! My hypothesis is that if you don't stop now, then you'll fall asleep on Henry's desk. I can offer something better than a wooden drawing board. Seriously, I'm offering you a break and you're not taking it."

His argument was compelling. Compelling enough to make you want it. Giving in, you shrugged your shoulders. "Okay, you win. I guess I am pretty tired. I'll pick this up tomorrow."

"I thought so," Bendy replied putting the book back down onto the desk.

He led you down a hallway that was full of unopened doors. He stopped in front of one that was locked. To your surprise, he busted in the door by ramming into it! He ended up covered in dust on the ground and with an annoyed expression. "Um… ow," was all he said. You couldn't help but laugh.

Once the dust settled down and Bendy had hopped back up to continue supporting you, you were able to get a good look at the room. It had a warmer feel than the rest of the place. It looked kind of like a bedroom. Pictures were hung on the walls of family, friends, and Bendy and a little jukebox was sitting in the corner. An empty dresser was sitting against a wall. The largest thing in the room though, it was the bed. Fluffy blankets and pillows neatly covered the entire bed that almost took up a third of the room. Suddenly, the thought of sleeping wasn't so terrible anymore.

"This is Joey's old room. Although, he never used it because he was always pulling the all-nighters. He was able to break the laws of life, so he thought he didn't need sleep anymore. Stupid Joey forgot he was human," Bendy explained glancing at all of the pictures. He saw one of a younger version of you and looked away. He didn't want the butterflies to come back right then.

You flopped onto the bed and kicked off your shoes. There was a lamp that was on beside you on a small table just within your arm's reach. Crawling under the blankets, you remembered something. "I'm pretty sure that my parents are freaking out right now. I disappeared again. They took my phone away from me and pretty much everything else! Not that the phone was put into much use anyway… I wonder if they'll be able to trace us here and arrest you or something…"

Considering the possibilities of this happening, he realized how likely it was. The police were probably doing a full-scale investigation to figure out what happened. Glancing from you to the door, he realized that if he was caught, that would mean disastrous results. "What would you suppose the chances are of that happening?" he questioned just in case.

"Pretty high I think. Wonder if they'll actually be able to trace us. If they do…," your voice trailed off. "I don't want them to find me."

Bendy smirked and nodded. "Then consider yourself hidden! I think I can solve our problem."

"I feel like I've made you into my servant and you're constantly at my side just asking what I want just so you can do it. I almost feel bad."

"I like being your servant!" Bendy pointed out simply.

Feeling suddenly curious, you began to wonder why. He usually didn't complain whenever you asked him to do something. Well, there was when you asked him to kiss a frog. So, to appease your mind, you asked. "Is there any particular reason behind you wanting to be my servant?"

The question made him stop a moment. He looked like he was thinking too hard to find an answer. Finally, after a few more seconds of semi-serious thinking, he shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe you're controlling my mind with mind control powers."

"Then why didn't you kiss the frog when I asked you to?!" you demanded.

Bendy cringed as he remembered the frog. "I don't want to remember that slimy creature ever again! I thought it was going to die!" he cried.

"I thought you were going to die!" you replied.

"I think I did!"

You began laughing again. Bendy couldn't help but also be amused. He shook his head and pointed back to the door. "Look, I've gotta go misdirect some people. So if you'll excuuuuuuse me, mistress, I've got work to accomplish!" he said.

Finally, you took a deep breath and nodded. "Fine! Don't be surprised if I burn the place down by the time you get back. You have a track record of leaving for long periods of time and not coming back for what feels like forever."

"Very true. I might be back at midnight at the earliest. Maybe a little longer depending on how things go."

"Sounds like my dad when he's about ready to go to work," you said recalling how he would wake up early in the morning and then disappear out the door after a quick goodbye.

"Okay, this is taking longer than it probably should. Uhhhhhhh, bye, farewell, see you later, good night, adios, sayonara, take care, peace out, toodles, ta-ta, or whatever phrase you wanna use!" Bendy chirped as he ran out the door leaving you alone once again.

The lamp was still on and you thought of all of your projects. Bringing Boris back was going to be harder than you thought. Thinking made you tired. When you did manage to fall asleep, you wished you never did.

 **Bendy's POV**

So they could be tracking us. Well, they'll be sorry they ever tried to cross (y/n) and I. I can be upbeat and lively around her, but I really don't care about anyone else on this planet. I only like her and Boris. She is mine and only mine. Nobody else can be allowed to have her. Besides, that's what she wants, right?

I cleared my mind a moment. Who was I doing it for? Was I doing it for her or myself? That will determine what I'll do.

…

It's pretty obvious what I'm going to do, isn't it?

They were in their living room, pacing like all worried parents would. The mom had her phone up to her ear and was jabbering away. I was outside the window and couldn't hear what she was saying. There was a police investigation happening at the house. If there was one there, then one was occurring at the hospital too. Good. The police are here. All the better for what I have planned.

The police officer was showing the dad some photos. I pressed the side of my face against the wall to try to hear what the officer was saying.

"You see, it was shown in these photos that this mysterious black creature appeared at her window and they both just left outside on a rope. We're not exactly sure _what_ the black creature was, though… There was no sign of a struggle and we even think she actually left willingly with the creature. The only thing we found after their escape was a large black puddle of ink on the sidewalk," the officer explained.

Her father didn't seem to care about the evidence. He was more concerned about another thing. "What do you mean she went _willingly_?! (Y/N) should know better than to go with these black… WHATEVER THEY ARE! Give me the picture!" he snapped snagging the picture from the officer.

I stared at myself in the picture. It was still me. It was still her. Sure enough, it was that night down to the letter. I thought rapidly about what I should do. They knew who I was now. (Y/N)'s mom glanced at the picture with worry.

"What is that?" her mom questioned.

"Is it… a strange dwarf person with horns and a bowtie?" her dad suggested. I almost laughed at the very thought. I'm a demon, not a dwarf! "Besides, if this thing has any reason to meddle with her… That small fortune we were planning on getting from her in the future isn't happening! With her levels of intelligence, she could make all of our money for us! But now she's GONE! Officer, what is that?!" he demanded pointing at the picture at me.

The officer shook his head and gave him a strange look. "You have some pretty messed up plans for your daughter's future, but I'm here for the case. Not your wonky ways of parenting. We did have one person say that the creature looked like Bendy from a popular cartoon from ten years ago. However, as similar as they appear, we don't have enough evidence to confirm if it's him or not. Besides, who's ever heard of a cartoon coming to life?" the officer pointed out.

Offended, I got out my paintbrush. Once the tip was covered in ink, I began painting on their window. I made sure to do it backward so they could read it from inside the living room. They didn't notice me because they were too busy yelling and arguing with each other. I walked over to the front porch waiting to execute the next part of my plan.

"How do you know if he's real or not? He could be real! What exactly is this 'Bendy' character?" her mom asked the officer.

"He's a dancing demon."

I began tapping my toes on their front porch when they mentioned it. Waiting for them to see what I wrote took forever. I just tapped away. The metal bottoms of my shoes were loud enough that I was sure (y/n) could hear me. I wanted her to. Suddenly, there was a shriek!

"EEK! Vandals!" screamed (y/n)'s mom.

"Wha-?! HOW?!" demanded the officer. He was silent as he read over my dripping handiwork. "It says, ' **I Am Alive… Find me**.'" the officer read. That was my cue to knock on the door.

 _Knock knock knock…_

"What was that?" the mom asked.

"I dunno. Answer the door!" the officer retorted.

I tried to recall what I looked like when I was trying to be scary. Ink would flood over my eyes and I'd give my evil death grin. They opened the door but I wasn't there. The reason I was thinking about it was because I was wondering if I should show them. I mean, why not?

"What in the…?" the officer said as his voice trailed off. The three of them walked slowly outside.

"Don't suppose it was the same person who drew on the window?" asked (y/n)'s dad.

"No doubt…," the officer replied.

" **Hello… Why do you dare search… For one who doesn't want… to be found again?"**

I was glad to see them freeze and slowly turn. They didn't doubt now. Once I show them who's in control, they'll never want to do anything against us again.

" **I'm only going to say this once… RUN.** "

 **2nd Person / (Y/N) POV**

"I'm baaaaaaack!" yelled Bendy running into the room. He seemed a little surprised by the fact that you woke up early and went to get the whole project set up. "Head start, huh?"

"Yeah. You only took forever and a day to get back. I decided to make myself useful," you said trying not to snap at him for being late. He got the hint you were irritated by his absence.

"Sheesh! Cut me some slack! They were hard to chase down! Besides, I had the fuzz after me," Bendy explained as he looked at your work. "Guess you're about ready to test this out?"

You nodded your head slowly. "Uh-huh. Just gotta turn on the ink machine and it'll be ready." You realized how chill Bendy was and knew something was wrong. "Okay, what's wrong? I would've thought that you'd be a little more excited about Boris being brought back!"

Shooting a glance at the body and then shrugging, he explained. "Well, I am excited. I'm more nervous than anything. Like, what if he doesn't remember us? What if there's a problem? What if we die turning on the ink machine by getting electrocuted by the switch to turn it on?" he asked.

Suddenly realizing that he was being paranoid, you noticed something. Has Bendy ever been paranoid about anything? He always seemed confident in himself. You ignored it. "Hm, would make things easier for the both of us. You go turn it on!" you said trying to cheer yourself up. Bendy nodded and ran off. Before long, you could hear the ink flowing through the pipes.

At first, the process went fine. After a minute though, you realized something. Ink was still splattering onto the floor. It wasn't from Boris but from the pipes. Looking up, you saw the crack. As you went over to it to make an attempt to fix it, it shattered in your face. Black ink sprayed everywhere and all over your face. The impact launched you backward onto the floor. "AH! Stupid ink pipes! These things are so old, they've probably seen the dinosaurs! Bendy?! BENDY!" you screamed.

When he didn't come back, you panicked. The ink was holding you down like a mysterious weight was pressing your chest against the floor. Harder, harder, harder. The more you thought about it, the worse it got. "Oh no no no no no no no no no no… Bendy! I'm going to die here if you don't turn the machine off! PLEASE! Don't leave me here to die!" you screamed desperately. Nothing happened. You couldn't even flail your arms or legs anymore. The ink became an ocean.

Black engulfed you and surrounded your entire body. It was a soundless vacuum that absorbed all life. You tried to breathe, but you only inhaled ink. You tried to scream, there was only ink. You even tried to cry, but all that happened was more ink flooding around you.

 _I'm going to die_ …

That was all you could think as you drifted in the spaceless void.

A voice was echoing through the ink. Someone screaming at you. 'Am I in a coma?' was the first thing you thought. It was obviously Bendy. Suddenly, the world was jerked from you and your lungs burst. Thrusting open your eyes, at last, you sputtered and coughed like there was no tomorrow. You were back. It was a dream.

"(Y/N)! Dang it, Bendy! You should've known this would happen! THANK HEAVENS YOU DIDN'T SUFFOCATE YOURSELF," Bendy yelled more at himself than at you. His tail was frantically twitching from side to side at your intense dream reaction.

Breathing heavily in the dark, reality finally started making sense again. You sorted out what was real and what wasn't. "Bendy… What… h-happened…?" you asked feeling the adrenalin slowly fade. Even as your fear eased up, you could still feel your hands shaking.

He slowly grasped your hand when he noticed it shaking. His eyes told no lies to you as you gazed into them. He explained it all to you slowly. "When I came back, I could hear someone screaming. At first, I thought someone broke in or something. Then, when I noticed there was no one else here, I figured out it was a nightmare probably. I wasn't sure how bad it was and I tried to wake you up, but then… I think you know the rest."

You shivered at the memory. "It was awful… I failed at everything and I was drowning in an ocean of ink! There was black everywhere… To breathe was impossible and there was no one anywhere… I don't even understand what really happened myself. It was like… I was dying…," you answered.

His black eyes were somber and sympathetic. You wanted time to turn back. Back to the song. Back to the violin. Back to the projector. Back to ten years ago. You knew it wouldn't and that you were stuck in the fear of a nightmare. Listening hard, you could've sworn that you heard distorted whispers surrounding you once more. Every little noise became six times louder.

"But…, It's not real," Bendy said lightly. Then he looked confused. "At least, as far as I know…"

Rubbing the sleep from your eyes and ignoring the chaos, you shook your head. "I think a nightmare like that is going to keep me from sleeping ever again. What's the point in it anyway?" you questioned.

"Okay, then!" Bendy said suddenly chipper. It was unbelievable how fast he made the mood change just from two words. "If you'll never sleep again, then I'll just have to stay up to keep you company EVERY night!"

He hopped onto the foot of the bed and stared at the wall as if he were staring at a vast ocean. "Thar she blows! The New Land drifts before us! Land ho!" He shouted as he pointed at the wall.

"Thar she blows. The Old Wall stands before us. Oh no," you mocked. He stared harder at the wall once you said this.

"Aye! It is a wall! Sorry, must've been my imagination. A fine wall it is, though. Pure mahogany stretching across the Atlantic Ocean as far as my one eye can see." Bendy said like a pirate.

Amused by his antics, you continued to point out reality just to see what he'd say. "But you have two eyes, not one, captain."

"You're right. The eyepatch is more for show."

"Besides, the pirates didn't discover The New Land! Christopher Columbus did!" you corrected.

Bendy smirked. "I am Christopher Columbus!"

"Dun-dun-duuuuuuun," you said.

"You are my hostage! Cower before the mighty Pirate Bendy/Christopher!" he shouted as he pointed an imaginary sword at you.

Feeling slightly more into it, you began to show some interest and began to test your acting skills. "Oh, Mighty Bendy! Your terrifying strength precedes my own! Your reign turned my land foul before I could have my chance to rule on the throne! For I am none other than the princess of England!" you shouted.

Bendy looked surprised for a second, then he continued. "Aye! Do you really think that I'd go for some low-life citizen?! Of course, in order to make an impact on your kingdom, I had to kidnap someone. You were the lucky person who caught my frightening eye…"

"A frightening eye of defeat! I built this wall through the Atlantic to stop you! Now you can't reach this "New Land" you speak of and I'll return home," you said trying to use Proper English.

Bendy growled at you in defeat. "Alas! You have outsmarted me! This wall goes across the world and the only way to reach the New Land is to cross the wall… Hm…," Captain Bendy said as he thought of a way to get through the wall.

You weren't about to let him have the chance to figure out how to pass the wall. "I refuse to be your hostage! If I'm going down, you're going down with me!" you shouted as you snatched him from where he was standing which sent both of you tumbling off of the bed and onto the wooden floor.

"Owwww… The Great Pirate Bendy is dead…," Bendy said from the floor.

"He went on to discover mermaids," you answered.

"Poor him. From what I've heard, mermaids are scary. They lure men to the ocean with their looks and singing voices and once they're close enough, they snatch them up and drag them down into the ocean," Bendy answered. He replayed the events that just happened in his mind and glanced at you. "I think you're a mermaid."

"You're right. I'm terrifying. However, I think you're the master of the 'drowning' part. Like how you drowned my uncle!"

"He deserved it!"

Rather than getting back up, you both stayed on the floor side-by-side. It was dark. Not much light would come in from the hallway light. All you could see was Bendy's silhouette and the dark shadows of all the other objects of the room. "Kinda reminds me of when we were at the lake. Just… creepy and without all the stars," you commented.

"I need to do some serious decorating to this place. I mean, how much more dreary can this studio get?" he asked.

"I actually kinda forget about how stupid life is when you're around. I didn't really notice all the dust, the cobwebs, or the leaky pipes. It all sort of… vanished," you explained. There was more silence and you could just guess what Bendy was wondering about. Finally, you stabbed at the subject. "Okay, I know you're going to ask me about the nightmare! I might as well just explain it!" you shouted.

Bendy shook his head no. "You don't have to. It's none of my business unless if you _really_ want to tell me about it. Judging by your voice, I don't think you really want to talk about it."

The exhaustion from earlier began to kick in again. You remembered your words from earlier about never falling asleep again. It wasn't going to happen, you realized. "I don't think I can stay awake, Bendy…"

"I thought not. Joey would always say he didn't need sleep and then would pass out two seconds after. Look, I doubt you're going to be chased by any more bad dreams. I doubt anyone's going to find us. Why don't you just… close your eyes?" he asked slowly. His voice got softer on the last three words.

"Why…?"

"Because I think you look cuter when you're sleeping."

If you had the energy, you would have shot him back a witty comment because you thought he was just messing with you. However, the longer the silence stretched, the more you realized he was serious. Staring at his face a moment longer, you saw this dreamy look in his eyes. It was like he was staring at a distant light. A candle's flame or a shooting star.

A dark feeling that created a nightmare in the middle of the night. Faint whispers echoing down the hallway. An unfinished project waiting to howl at the moon again. Though it was a dark feeling, it was a feeling. That was good enough for you.

"Dream about me, (y/n)..."


	11. Chapter 10 The Girl Who Cried Wolf

**Chapter 10 The Girl Who Cried Wolf**

"Wow! I think we're done! Nothing like a bit of teamwork to resurrect an old friend!" Bendy said as he dusted himself off.

Nodding to his statement, you couldn't help but feel relieved by how excited he was. It made your dream less likely to come true. "Well, you're really chipper!"

"Are you kidding?!" demanded Bendy as he sprang from one side of the room to the other. "I'm so excited that I'm about to explode!" he shouted. Springing himself off of the wall, he landed beside you. "It's all thanks to you, you know!"

"I don't deserve that much credit! I'm sure that you would have figured out how to do it… eventually," you replied with a smirk.

Bendy crossed his arms at you. He wasn't being serious even though he was trying to look like he was. "Why, (y/n)! Are you calling me slow?" Bendy then shook his head. "How rude! Go to the time-out corner, (y/n)! Don't come out until I say so!" he commanded.

"Okay. Can I come out yet?" you asked.

"Well, technically you didn't go anywhere and no time has passed, but I guess you can. Anyway, let's just do this thing!" Bendy shouted as he raced to the ink pressure room. You looked annoyed for a moment.

"You know, I can't really run after you! I'm physically impaired!" you shouted after him. He stopped and shouted back.

"Get to the main power room, then! I'm sure you'll get there by the time I hit the switch!" he commanded. He bounded away before you could object.

Slowly making your way there against the wall, you heard the pipes begin to make strange noises that indicated that Bendy pushed the pump pressure button. You reached the main power and turned everything on. Bendy came loping back. "We're all set here! Now we just have to wait. Quick question, how long are we waiting?"

You thought back to the book. "I think it said we had to wait about… two minutes," you answered.

"Wow. That's fast. Okay, then you stay here to prepare to turn the machine off on my command. I'm going back," he said. You could hear his rapid footsteps down the hallway due to his shoes. It was easy to tell where Bendy was because of them. A minute and a half went by and you could hear Bendy shout his signal. On cue, you turned off the machine. The studio fell silent.

Trying to get to the next room, you could hear someone stand to their feet. Black fur brushed up against the floor and small black ears twitched. You peered into the room and you could see the wolf in white overalls standing looking somewhat confused. Your heart raced.

"Bendy…?" he asked.

"Oh my gosh… I can't believe it! It worked! Boris, you're alive!" Bendy yelled as he tackled Boris which sent them both crashing to the floor.

"Oof!" Boris said, but his face immediately brightened. "Bendy! I thought I'd never see you again! I don't even know what happened… I just remember ink flooding everywhere and… pipes breaking and… What happened?" he asked glancing around. "The place looks… more dead than usual."

Bendy jumped to his feet. "Boris, you have no idea how much you missed! I want to tell you everything, but I have no idea where to start…"

"Why not try from the beginning?" you asked from the hallway. Finally, you were able to walk into the room. Boris's eyes widened with wonder and recognition.

"Bendy…, is that-?"

"Boris, I'd like you to meet 18-year-old (y/n)," Bendy introduced. You nodded your head in greeting.

At first, Boris didn't know how to reply. You were one of the last people he expected to see. "Wow… You've certainly matured a lot. It seems like only yesterday that you were eight years old and watching our show with stars in your eyes."

You smiled as you tried to make a good first impression. "It's good to see you, Boris! I've always wondered what meeting you would be like."

"Yeah, Bendy always wondered what meeting you would be like, too," Boris said while looking to Bendy with a smug grin. Bendy's eyes darted towards the wall.

"Boris, shut up!" Bendy snapped. He tail swished back and forth like a cat's tail would when annoyed.

Boris chuckled at Bendy's response. "Just like old times, right pal? It's like nothing's changed!" he announced. Now standing tall, he glanced around the room still confused. "So, uh, are you going to explain or what? I mean, surely something must've happened to give her that broken leg, right?"

"Ugh… Don't remind me…," you said.

The three of you sat in a circle (more like a triangle) and began to swap stories. Bendy's was by far the longest and Boris's was the shortest. It was interesting to hear Bendy's side of the story and hear about all of the things he did when you weren't around. A few times you thought you saw Boris put the smug look back on his face whenever Bendy spoke about you. He seemed alarmed by the fact that Bendy murdered Henry and nearly did the same to Joey. There was a lot he knew about Bendy, but there was quite a bit he didn't know as well.

"So that's it, huh? Wow… I really did miss out on a lot," Boris said.

Bendy nodded slowly. "But what matters is that you're not missing out on anything else. Now that you're real, is there anything you wanna see or do?"

"I do want to see what the outside world looks like… The way you described color made me want to see it for myself," he replied.

Bendy sprang from the neat triangle formation you were sitting in and dragged Boris to his feet. "Well, come on! We're going outside, then!" He began to drag Boris away. You didn't want to stand from your spot and you just watched. You never saw him so happy. It was like something in him completely changed in a split second. Something in him sang louder than it did before.

"Well…, I did it," was all you could say.

 **Bendy's POV**

"Look, Boris. Behind this door is a world of possibilities that were closed to us before. And here we are! We are about to do what no toon besides me has ever done! Are you ready for this?!" I shouted as we stared at the door. Boris shrugged his shoulders.

"Gee, I don't know. Let me think about it a moment because I think this is way too intense. Let me catch my breath," Boris said sarcastically. I wondered if that was what (y/n) would think whenever I started talking like that.

"You're right. I should just open the door."

Twisting the knob, light flooded into our faces and we both had to shield our eyes from the blinding sun. "Whoa… What's that giant glowing orb in the sky? I don't think I've seen it before!" Boris announced.

"Uh, yeah. It's called a giant flaming ball of gas in outer space that is hundreds of times bigger than the Earth. AKA the sun," I replied. Boris looked amazed.

Strolling outside, we just stood and stared at the scenery for a while. It was a beautiful world. Living with just two colors all of your life sure got annoying really fast. It was like a whole new way of seeing things. Rather than a white sky, it was blue.

"So…, have you told her yet?" Boris asked with his tail wagging back and forth excitedly. It took me a moment to figure out what he meant. When I did, I shook my head.

"Of course, you have to ask. Isn't it obvious? No. And she isn't ever going to know. I can hint and prod at the thought all I want, but I'm not going to come out and say, "I love you, (y/n)!" Never! At least…, not until… I don't know! I just… I don't know! You can't understand this, Boris!" I shouted. I didn't know why I was making a big deal about it, but the thought of coming out and saying it just scared me.

If I knew anything about Boris, it was that he would never back down from this type of conversation. Just as I had suspected, he said what he always used to say. "You're just denying yourself."

I huffed. It was one thing to dream, but the reality was completely different. "Well, what would you do? If you're so intent on getting us together, what do you propose?"

"Proposing to her will be in there somewhere, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, Bendy," Boris joked. Before I could facepalm myself, he winked at me. "Well, I do have a little idea that might work to get her to notice you in the way we're thinkin'. Just leave it to me, your wingman!"

I kinda gave in as soon as he brought up being my wingman. Instead of arguing, I decided to go along with it. "You're going to be my wingman? Well, what's your scheme?"

Boris shook his head. "I'm not telling you! I want this to be a surprise!" he answered.

"I shoulda known."

"Well, we should be getting back inside. I don't think your girlfriend will appreciate us abandoning her," Boris said as he began to make his way back through the door.

I got this deep nostalgic feeling deep in my chest. It was almost like Boris's heart that was now mine could feel what I felt all those years ago. I missed those years with Boris on the big screen. I even missed the years alone in the projector with him. I wanted to convey that to him, I guess. "Hey, Boris?"

"Yeah?"

"I missed you a lot… And it's good to have you back… I'm glad that… you haven't changed," I told him sincerely. My tail swished as I tried to find the right words.

Smiling and walking back over, he knelt down to my level. "I'm just happy to see you're okay. I mean, it was supposed to be my job to make sure you didn't get into trouble and to keep you happy! I wouldn't change if the world depended on it unless if you wanted me to." He turned his back towards me still in the kneeling position. "Well? You wanna hop on? Maybe we'll get an ice cream later to celebrate our reunion. Sound good?" he asked.

"Yeah… I'd like that." And so I hopped onto his back with thoughts of dates and ice cream going through my mind.

 **(Y/N)'s/2nd Person POV**

You could hear footsteps walking towards you. Knowing it was Boris from the heavy footsteps, you sat and waited on the floor for them to reappear. When they did, you couldn't help but think that Boris carrying Bendy around on his back was just as adorable as Bendy was. "Hey! You remembered me!" you shouted in greeting.

"Sorry!" Bendy apologized. Boris stopped in front of you and Bendy looked to the ground. "Uh, Boris, can you put me down?" Bendy asked.

"Whatever you want, Bendy!" Boris said. He released Bendy and sent the ink demon crashing to the floor. Bendy groaned.

"That's not what I meant, Boris…"

As Bendy recovered on the floor, you couldn't help but notice Boris staring thoughtfully at you. You blinked at him awkwardly. "Boris, what did the both of you talk about? Also, what's with the intense staring?"

The wolf snapped out of thought. He heard your question and tried to pull the wool over your eyes. "Sorry! I was just thinking about something and happened to be staring in your direction. We were just talking about how pretty the sun was. Nothing much."

"Yeah…, nothing…," Bendy mumbled.

"Okay… I just wanted to know why-"

"By the way, (y/n), I forgot to mention that you look really nice today!" Boris complemented completely changing the subject you were bringing up.

Surprised, you went with it like Bendy would. "Uh, thanks? What brought this up?"

Boris shrugged his shoulders casually. "I dunno. Maybe Bendy brought up how nice you looked outside or something. He always used to talk about you all the time in the projector, you know," he told you.

Bendy hopped to his feet in a split second. "Hey! I know how a prank is innocent, but _lies_ aren't!" he snapped.

"The man denies, so it's true," Boris pointed out.

"I'm confused," you said.

"Be confused, (y/n)! Be confused! Boris, why are you doing this? Did I ask you to randomly compliment (y/n) on how nice she looks and then say I said it? No! If I wanted you to, I would've asked you to. And another thing I think you should know is that I didn't talk about… her all the time in… the…," Bendy's voice faded as he suddenly went pale. The energy drained from his face and he got this sudden zombie look. Boris looked alarmed.

"Bendy?!" he demanded.

"Boris, I… feel really dizzy… all of the…" Bendy flopped up against a wall. Boris rushed over to him and tried to keep him from falling.

"Bendy! What's wrong?! Is he sick?!" you asked Boris with worry.

You raced to Boris and Bendy and placed your hand on Bendy's forehead. He wasn't burning up or anything. Boris then checked for a pulse and shoved his ear up to his chest.

"...His heart is kinda slow," Boris said. He scooped Bendy up into his arms and glanced around. "Do you know what might've caused this?" he asked.

You shook your head. "No! Nothing happened. At least, I don't think anything did…" You raked your mind trying to figure out what might've caused this.

Before you found a solution, Boris began to search for a place to put Bendy. He found Joey's old room and set him down on the bed. You followed behind him and arrived just in time to see Boris tuck him in. It was probably the first time you ever saw Bendy look asleep.

"Boris… I don't… feel…"

"I know, Bendy. We'll get you better soon. For now, just try to save as much energy as possible and don't get up from this spot," Boris explained sounding a lot like the doctors at the hospital. You could see it now. Dr. Boris the Wolf.

Bendy gave up the struggle of keeping his eyes open. "What happened…?" he questioned with his eyes shut.

"I think I have an idea. Bendy. For now, you just have to rest and I'll make sure you get better," Boris said as he began to leave.

"Righto…," Bendy replied making a final attempt at humor.

Boris went back to interrogating you outside the room. You wouldn't be surprised if he had experience being the interrogator in court. His eyes gave away his worry throughout all of his seriousness. "Listen, has Bendy been… acting strange lately?" he asked.

You shook your head no. If anything, he was more energetic than usual. "I don't think he's been any different! You saw him earlier. Completely normal. The only thing I can think of that's in any way different is that he's been extremely active lately."

Nodding to himself, Boris looked a little less concerned. It seemed like what you told him confirmed one of his suspicions. "I think I know what the problem is. Usually, a cartoon can't get sick or die. I don't think Bendy's sick. He might just be wearing down because he's, in a manner of speaking, expiring."

You tilted your head at him with an odd look. "Expiring? You mean, like, your driver's license has been expired kind of expired?"

Boris shook his head. "No. You know what happens to the ink you write with? It dries to the paper. People tell you not to touch the paper immediately after using a pen because it's not dry. This case is kinda similar. Due to him being constantly active and using up all of his ink to…, well, drown people, he now is short on ink. This makes him considerably weaker because he's completely made out of ink and without ink he doesn't exist. It's not a problem unless if he continues to squander what ink he has left. He just needs a recharge," Boris explained so you could understand.

Finally figuring it out, you nodded. "Well…, he has used a lot of his ink last week… Like when we fell off of the rope, that was _**a lot**_ of ink. Also, when he left last night, he probably used a lot of ink then, too. After all, he said himself that the police were after him."

"He's gotten himself into a lot of hot water if he even dared to actually mess with the police. Maybe now he won't find any reason to do this anymore. I'm not worried about him getting caught because no normal person can stop him. I'm just worried about Bendy taking it too far."

You didn't want to think about his new criminal history. Abduction, murder, and who-knows-what. Shoving the thought to the back of your mind, you tried to change the subject. "Well, we're his best friends. We should start up that machine! Um, just make sure that this time he doesn't turn into this tall, freaky ink monster like last time."

"Tall, freaky ink monsters will hit the road! I'll make sure he stays his adorable self. Maybe a few issues, but adorable," Boris explained with an assuring grin.

"Hooray. Only this time, we'll give him bunny ears!" you suggested.

"Oh my gosh. Bendy the dancing bunny. I can see it now. He'll hate us forever!"

"It's totally worth it, though!"

Boris is silent and you begin to huff from all of the work you were giving your arms to get around. Seeing how you were struggling, Boris scooped you up into his arms like you were light as a feather. He began to carry you towards the ink machine. "Thought you mind need a lift."

"Wow… Swept off of my feet by the big bad wolf!" you announced with amazement. He was so tall, you could almost touch the ceiling now from within his strong arms.

Boris's tail wagged. "I'm a big bad wolf? I had to kidnap the beautiful Red Riding Hood for my master. You know, I'm every toon's best friend."

"Master Bendy the evil warlock!" you shouted. Remembering, you scratched Boris's ear. "Bendy and his trusted canine Boris, the big, bad wolf!"

As the two of you laughed in the hallway, Bendy still wasn't completely asleep. He heard most of the conversation and got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was too weak to react in a way that required more than saying three words at a time. However, his thoughts went bonkers. What if Boris became new competition and you started liking Boris instead?

"Boris…"

He remembered who he was thinking about and immediately retracted all of his panicked thoughts. Boris. The wolf who earlier wouldn't stop shipping with the smug look on his face. The same guy who openly volunteered to be his wingman. The same guy who decided to scheme to bring them together. No. Not Boris. Not after all of this time. He promised.

"He promised me…"


	12. Chapter 11 You Get To Choose!

**Chapter 11 You Get To Choose!**

"Okay, (y/n)! Fire up the ink machine again!" Boris yelled from the ink machine room. You flipped the switch for the second time that day. The pipes once more sprang to life as ink flooded them. Bendy had been hooked up to the ink machine so that the ink wouldn't flood the entire studio again.

Waiting around in the power room was boring. It would only take a minute to "recharge" Bendy. He was a lot smaller than Boris which made sense. Before long, you got the signal to turn it off and Boris was running back to greet you. Bendy was unconscious in his arms. It seemed like transportation of people was what Boris was best at.

"He's still asleep?" you questioned even though the answer was right in front of your face. Boris nodded.

"Do you recover immediately from an illness directly after you take your medicine? He just needs a few hours to rejuvenate. But until then… Wanna go to the store?" he asked.

This suggestion was surprising. Bendy would never ask to go shopping. If anything, he would ask to ram the shopping carts into the side of the building at neck-breaking speeds. Also, the thought of Boris taking you shopping just sounded odd. However, at the same time, it sounded nice. You could use more clothes and food. Plus, you could demand Boris to buy the book, Romeo and Juliet. After considering the options, you nodded.

"We'll be back before he wakes up, I'm sure. Even if he does, he can handle himself. So, care to lead the way?" he asked awaiting your answer. He didn't have to wait. It was less than a minute later and you were out in the sun outside the door.

It was quite the shopping trip in reality. Boris bought lots of food because you knew he was actually quite the cook and he knew what he was doing. He did make an odd request for you to find a nice dress in case of a special occasion. After you bought a cart full of food, you went dress hunting. Reds, blues, and any color you could think of popped out. It took nearly a half an hour, but you finally were able to find something.

"Hey Boris, what about this one? It's nice," you said looking at a dark purple dress. The smooth fabric felt nice on your skin. Boris analyzed it and shook his head.

"Nope. Keep looking."

I lied. Anyway, the longer you stayed there, the less you thought about coming back to the studio before Bendy woke up. So, when he did…

Bendy's POV

"Ugh, my head hurts… What in the…? What am I doing here?" I glanced from my feet to the wall to my hands to the floor. I wasn't here last time! What happened?

With wobbly legs, I got to my feet. They did feel a little better than they did before. It was probably somewhere in the evening from my guess so I must've been out for a long time. What really bothered me was the lack of noise or excitement. Where were Boris and (y/n)?! My investigation started and Detective Bendy was on the case… I needed a sidekick, so I found Bendy Jr and placed him on my shoulder. I stuck a pipe in my mouth and put on a black trench coat that I found in the prop room.

"Well Bendy Jr, looks like it's just you and me… On a case to find people who are so considerate to think of leaving without me. Where do you think we should start?" I questioned to the doll. It stared at me with a dead look in its eyes.

 _Why should I help you? You abandoned me on the floor!_

"I was going to come back."

 _Riiiiiiiiiight. This is one of those cases where I'm just going to have to take your word for it._

I swatted at the doll for doubting me and we began our search. After a half hour of looking, it was obvious that they weren't in the studio. I couldn't help but be a little ticked off that they left somewhere without even considering having someone stay to fill me in. Everything in my mind was blurry. I could barely remember any of my conversations from earlier. I almost forgot my own name once or twice. How many hours would they be gone? Forever?

Giving up, I glanced at the projector. There was a reel sitting next to it and looked recently used. Curious, I decided to watch it because I didn't recall putting it there. Putting it in, I watched a series of unused clips in my show. I remembered the filming of each of those. Joey would constantly correct me and try to make sure I was doing it exactly the way it was written. He would always say, "A cartoon has to be flawless." If that's true, then I don't think I'm a cartoon anymore.

After a while of seemingly random clips, a song flicked I finally remembered it, my face grew hot. Nobody was supposed to be filming that! It was just me who sang that song about my Darlin' Devil. The fact that I saw caught on the projector was humiliating. The one upside to this was that if (y/n) did watch this, she wouldn't I was singing about her. If it was up to me, I would have changed the title to My Little Darlin' Angel.

Halfway into the song, I heard the door open. "Hey, Bendy! We're back!" Boris announced huffing and puffing like he had just run a mile with more stuff than he could handle. I jumped out of my skin at the sound of his voice. Yanking out the reel from the projector, I threw it against a wall right as Boris walked into the room with (y/n) on his back. We all stared at the reel awkwardly.

"What was that?" (y/n) asked.

I looked away from the reel and then at the ceiling and shrugged with a clueless look. "Huh? I dunno. Somebody's throwing stuff…" Is it just me, or have I gotten worse and worse at lying?

To my relief, they didn't really question my answer. Instead, Boris gently lets (y/n) climb off of his back and it was then that I noticed all of the shopping bags he was holding. I knew Boris was strong, but only now did I realize just how strong. I perused the gallery of shopping bags with interest.

Boris saw my interest and shoved a few bags at me. "First of all, I wanted to say how glad I am that you're feeling better. You gave both of us quite the scare! To pass the time, we decided to do some much-needed shopping. If you want, you can make yourself useful!" he chirped. I stared blankly at the bags.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

It was then that (y/n) got to her feet while balancing on one foot. "Well, I wanted to ask you something… Maybe you could help me out with taking my stuff back to Joey's room…?" she asked.

I could never say no. Nodding my head, I hopped to my feet and took her bags. "Sure! I'll be your baggage carrier," I said making a weak attempt at humor.

I could tell she was making an attempt to start up a conversation, but it seemed like she had exhausted every single conversation topic already. Probably because she was talking with Boris all day. So, instead of waiting for her to speak, I started my pointless jabbering. "So, uh, sorry for, like, passing out and stuff. It's not like Joey gave me an instruction manual or anything for how to be myself…" I tried to not think about how dumb I sounded. At least, it was a start.

"Well, it did come as a shock, but I knew Boris had it all under control. If anyone knows you, it's him," she replied.

Again with Boris. If I didn't know better, I'd be jealous. However, I know better than to be mean to him. Not after everything he's been through. Besides, I've heard that green and jealousy go together well. I don't. "Yeah… By the way, it's not nice to leave your _best friend_ all alone and unconscious in a creepy animation studio with no clue of if you're going to come back!" I'm not sure why I said it, but it was bugging me. She gave me this look of surprise.

"How long were we gone for…?" she finally asked.

"About an hour since I woke up! You'd better believe that it's not the first time I've opened my eyes and… everything was gone. I wouldn't be able to handle it happening again… The two of you are the only people who are keeping me mentally sane and if anything happens to either of you…" I stopped at the thought. It wasn't going to happen. That was my purpose. To make sure that doesn't happen.

"Bendy…, I can assure you that it won't happen again. Look, I'm sorry for leaving you alone here. Maybe I could do something to make up for it!" she suggested.

An idea popped into my head. I wondered if I should seize the opportunity while she was giving it to me. I cocked an eyebrow with interest. "Anything…?"

She put a smile on her face and I could tell she was doing an impersonation of me. "Whatever you wish, Bendy! I shall sing and dance if that be your wish! I shall conquer empires! I shall destroy armies! I shall win the world and let you rule it! Just say the word!" she quoted. I couldn't help but grin. She wasn't half bad.

"Well…, There is one thing I want more than anything…," I told her. I could feel my hand shaking, but I refused to let her see it. Taking a deep breath, I told myself there was no going back. "I… I wanna go on a date with you!"

(Y/N)'s POV

You stared in shock at his bold statement. It was definitely the first time you've ever heard that. Nobody had ever really asked you because you never really got to know anyone. Well, now there's Bendy. For a moment, you felt dumb for not noticing or figuring it out because you realized just how obvious it was. The eight-year-old side of yourself screamed yes while the logical side started doubting. "Bendy…, is that… true?" you asked needing to hear him say it.

"It's as true as the existence of you or me… Truth is, I've been hiding my feelings from you which might be why I've been going all over the place lately. Dashing out the door one minute to keep people from taking you away or racing back to make sure you didn't leave me the next. I know that the only reason that you' got involved in this mess was because… I wanted you to stay. It really is all I want… To be loved…," he confessed.

There was a pause. His short heartfelt speech was enough. Now you were the one who couldn't say no. "Only… if you play the violin again."

Bendy's eyes lit up in an instant. He looked like he would fly away if he wasn't carrying so many grocery bags. "How could I not?"

After you dropped off the bags in the room, you looked through them to find the dress you got and you realized why Boris wanted you to buy it. He knew Bendy was going to ask you out at some point. It was also no surprise that he was so picky about the size, the style, the color, etc. It was funny how Boris knew almost everything. Bendy and you agreed to make the date that night. Of course, considering how late it was already, that would mean it was effective immediately.

Once Bendy finally left, you sat onto a desk on the opposite side of the room from the bed. You fished through the bags and looked through the stuff you got for yourself. Boris was able to pay for everything with the fortune Joey earned while Bendy was actually popular. Dumping a bunch of stuff onto the desk, you held up a hairbrush. "At long last, I can fix my atrocious hair!" you shouted.

While brushing out your hair, you couldn't help but smile slightly. It was flattering to know Bendy thought of you that way. It made you wonder what you really thought of him. You wondered if you were really lying to yourself when you said he was just a friend.

Boris's POV

I see Bendy walk back with a both dreaming and scheming look in his eyes. He was humming something that I couldn't quite recognize, but from the style, I could tell it was a romance song. I already knew why, but I decided to ask anyway. "Well, well, well. You're suddenly extremely happy!" I pointed out first. I didn't want to just go and demand what happened.

Bendy stopped humming and stared at me blankly. "Huh? You say somethin'?" he asked.

"Yeah! You looked like you were off on another planet! I just pointed out that you looked suddenly like-"

"Like a silly little dreamer with his mind stuck on this one girl he's had a crush on for years?" he answered for me. I shrug.

"I was going to say a little distracted, but that works too."

He leaned up against a wall. "I just asked (y/n) out on a date just now and she told me yes if I'd play the violin. I already know what I'm going to play! It's going to be so good that she'll fall for me in a heartbeat," he told me confidently.

Blinking at him slowly, I wondered what he had planned. "Well, do you know what the plan is then?"

He shrugs and says, "I figured that it'd be up to her. I mean, it has to be something she likes. Whether if movie theaters, parks, or fancy restaurants, Bendy can do any of them!" he answered.

"What if it's something you don't expect? What if she asks for the date to take place at an aquarium or something? I know you have a fear water because we both know what happens when-"

"Don't remind me!" he yelled. Dying wasn't very high on his to-do list. If anything, it was on the very bottom. He regained his composure and shook it off. "Honestly, an aquarium wouldn't be so bad because it's just a bunch of fish behind a glass! Not like a water park or anything. Plus, if we do go to a public place, you'd bet I'm going to break in when it's closed! Then it would be just the two of us… Unless if she says a movie theater, then I'll have to take you along."

"Well, do you need me for anything? Anything at all?" I asked.

Bendy thought for a moment. He then nodded. "You can play the piano, right?"

Later… In your POV again!

Stepping slowly out of the room with your new dress on (it can look like whatever you want), you glanced around trying to find Bendy. Before you did, Boris walks up in a black tuxedo and lifts you up once more. "If you don't mind, I'll be your transport for this evening," he told you with a wink.

"Wow, you look fancy. We've got ourselves the men in black going on here! So what's the big plan? Do you have any idea?" you asked trying to get some inside info. Boris shook his head at you.

"Sorry, but I can't exactly spoil the show for you. After all, Bendy didn't really want me to tell you anything," Boris said as he started walking you towards the main entryway area.

"There's going to be a show?" you asked. Performances were always exciting if done correctly. Boris nodded and you smiled.

He didn't speak another word until you reached the destination. Once he did get there, you were amazed by the stage that had been set up. A piano was resting on the stage and also a stand. Boris set you down and looked at you sheepishly. "We couldn't find any comfortable chairs, so you'll probably just want to sit on the floor. The show will consist of one song that features a violinist and his accompanist. We hope you enjoy!" Boris told you.

Gazing up at the stage from the floor, the lights slowly dimmed. A light flashed on that illuminated the whole stage. Boris walked onto the stage and sat at the piano. Then, Bendy walked out with his violin. When you looked, you could tell he was nervous. In front of any other audience, he would be fine, but now it was just you. He lifted the violin and placed one end on his shoulder. Clutching his bow, he nodded to Boris at the piano.

"This is Bendy and Boris playing A River Flows in You!" Boris announced. "Song was originally written by Yiruma."

Upon the first note that was played, you could tell it was going to be great. As the pace picked up, you couldn't believe how smooth and accurate it was. The beauty of the song was dizzying and it was full of emotion. Bendy's precise movements were enough to make the violin sing with joy and sorrow. The piano both made you want to sing and cry. The harmony of both the violin and the piano was so mesmerizing that you forgot who you were. You could only stare at Bendy and his violin as he played.

The spotlight shined only brighter, the violin only became sweeter, and you couldn't stop watching. There were chills that were running up and down your spine. Bendy was right about being a musical genius. Professional musicians would never be able to create such emotions. Surely not ever.

The violin and the piano began to slow after a few minutes of playing, and you could feel the song begin to end. You wanted to reach out and pull the song back to hear more, but your fingers couldn't possibly touch the notes. It left you with a sad yet happy feeling. You couldn't explain how you could feel so torn between the two different emotions. When the echo of the last note finally ceased, it was silent once more in the animation studio.

At first, you couldn't move. When you finally remembered yourself, you sprang to your feet and clapped harder than you thought you could. "OH MY GOSH, YOU GUYS WERE AMAZING!" you shouted to the both of them.

Boris grinned and wagged his tail happily. Bendy huffed because his arm was now tired. "I haven't played so serious since… ever," he stated as he hopped off of the stage.

"I loved it, Bendy. You're the only one I know who can play the violin, but I know that you do it better than anyone else in the world," you complimented.

Completely enjoying the attention way too much, Bendy crossed his arms and nodded. "I guess I'm just that great." He then realized how self-centered that sounded and then tried to make an awkward recovery. "Not that anyone in the room is less than me or anything!"

"Yeah Bendy, what about your accompanist?" Boris asked.

"Alright, I'm sorry," Bendy admitted. He then noticed the dress you were wearing. "Say, that's nice! Suits you well, I'd say. Although, if I knew you were going to dress up like we're going to prom, I would've worn a suit."

You shrugged at the thought. "Well, I don't really feel like waiting. I think you look fine! The bow tie is fancy enough and it makes you look cute," you told him reassuringly.

Bendy nodded to himself. Straightening his bow tie, he hopped back onto the stage. "We thank you for watching our show tonight! If you happen to be on a date with anyone, I'm proud to report that those stars are lovely tonight and you'll love what's in store for you later!" Bendy stated. He then got rid of the announcer's voice and returned to his normal voice. "There is one thing that I didn't plan already, however. I just thought that… maybe you'd like to decide where we go? Of course, I wouldn't go anywhere you didn't want to. I didn't mean to put you on the spot, but I just don't really know what kind of places you really like."

"He says he'll go anywhere. When he says, "I'll go anywhere", he means, "I'll go ANYWHERE." And you should know he means it," Boris told you.

"Uhhhh… Give me a second to think…"

 **Ok! This is where you, the readers, get to vote on where you'll go! If nobody gives me a straight answer, then I'll come up with something crazy and ridiculous. Hope you liked this and be sure to tell me what you think!**


	13. Poll Is Now CLOSED!

Hi, guys! ZairaDrayan is back with another author's note to assure everyone that I'm not dead and that I've read EVERY SINGLE SUGGESTION that you sent me. None of them have gone unnoticed unless if you didn't actually send it! Soooooo, here's the deal.

Due to reasons that are school related, updates might be a lot slower over the summer. I have been working on it little by little, but patience is going to be required! I know how much you all hate waiting... Sorry...

As for the poll for the date location, I have finally decided! Where is it? NO SPOILERS. At the moment you can't suggest new locations, but you can still suggest more ideas that you want to see happen. I love it when people suggest stuff because it makes me feel less like I'm being selfish and just doing whatever I want and not considering what the reader actually wants. Plus, a lot of your suggestions and comments have made me laugh and just make my day! I just wanted to thank all of you for your support on this story and I will be updating this eventually!

Bendy: WAIT!

Me: What, Bendy?

Bendy: What about Alice?

Me: ...

Bendy: ...

Me: NOPE! NOT SAYING ANYTHING! NOT SAYING ANYTHING!

Bendy: Sammy?

Me: He's a crazy music director who steals your toothbrushes!

Bendy: Those ink blobs in the basement?

Me: They have secret council meetings to overthrow you when you're not looking.

Bendy: WHAT?! I KNEW IT! *runs down to the basement with an ax*

Me: Heh. Well, I've gotta get back to writing that next chapter, so thanks for everything! Until the next chapter!


	14. Chapter 12 Date With The Devil

**Hi, guys! I'm finally back with the next update! Sorry that I wasn't able to use each and every date location suggestion, but I went with the one that I believed would be best. I read everyone's requests and I liked them! Please, try not to be too disappointed if your suggestion wasn't chosen. Well, that's it for now! Until next time~! ^-^**

 **Chapter 12 Date With The Devil**

"Well, have you decided yet?" Boris asked.

"I did just have a thought. Bendy, you remember when we went to the lake the other day, right? I just remembered that Boris hasn't had the chance to see the stars yet. Sooooooo, I was wondering if we could go back!" you suggested.

Boris's eyes lit up at the thought of seeing the stars. Bendy also seemed to get an idea. "That reminds me…," Bendy said as he began to walk away. A second later, he had a telescope slung over his shoulder and a thick, blue book under his arm. He set the two items down on the floor. "Thought that maybe we would be doing more stargazing at some point, so I found these! I had to fish through Wally Franks's old office space to find these. He might've been a janitor, but he sure did have a lot of cool stuff. Behold! _The Secrets of the Sky_ tells us absolutely everything about many constellations. Thought maybe we could look through it."

"Great idea, Bendy! Although, I hate to intrude on your date… I don't have to come along…," Boris told his friend. Bendy shook his head.

"Well, (y/n) suggested it, so I don't think it'll be much of a problem. Just give us our space when we want it. You can be our chaperone!" Bendy exclaimed as if it was the greatest thing that could possibly happen. Boris shrugged his shoulders.

Bendy helped you to your feet even though you were still limping terribly. You tried to ignore it and act like it didn't hurt. Both of them could see through your lie. Bendy waved over Boris who scooped you back up into his arms. The expression on Bendy's face clearly stated that he was annoyed that he couldn't be the one to sweep you off of your feet.

"Boris, I think Bendy's jealous," you pointed out. As soon as you said it, Bendy shook his head no quickly. Boris only smirked.

"I'm not jealous about anything! Sure, I'm annoyed about being a midget but not jealous!" he yelled.

"Bendy, you're jealous," Boris replied.

Bendy huffed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. A little. What am I supposed to say? You're stealing my date, wingman!"

"Well, when you put it that way…," Boris said with a thoughtful expression. He then lifted Bendy up with his other arm. "I'll have to steal both of you!" he chirped.

Amazed by his strength, Bendy didn't object. You looked over at Bendy. "Did you know he was this strong?!" you asked him. Bendy didn't say anything as if he didn't want to admit that there was something about Boris he didn't know.

Kicking open the door and strolling out into the darkness of the night, Boris began to whistle a tune. You looked up at the sky. Bendy handed you the book and he held onto the telescope. "I know it's not Romeo and Juliet, but I'm sure that book is just as good. Good thing there are clear skies, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah! It's just like last time! Boris, what do you think?" you asked him.

"I can't look at the sky at the moment. If I did, I'd probably drop the both of you! Plus, I have to find this lake and remember the directions," the wolf replied as he continued down the sidewalk.

Nodding, you drew your attention to the town. It looked so much different than it did ten years ago. There was an ice cream shop just down the road that wasn't there anymore. The police station got moved to the other side of town because nothing ever really happened in this section of town. Well, not until Bendy showed up. You wouldn't be surprised if you found a wanted poster for Bendy at this point, but you didn't care. Boris and Bendy were the last people in the world who really cared about you now. Maybe Henry cared, but he's now dead. Crickets sang in the moonlight and all the lights were off except for a lampost. The ocean of stars and the moon gave you enough light to see, so you didn't need it anyway. You remember seeing a night sky from an anime that looked exactly like this. If only there was a way to prove that you weren't dreaming.

"I think the sky is pretty, too. Better than the pitch black ink sky on a paper. How did I know you were thinking of such a thing? It was your face that told me. Your expression is the only thing that I do like to read," Bendy said trying to act smooth. A part of you was glad that he avoided the 'But the sky's not as pretty as you' line. It's very cliche.

"Oh, I thought you were being a freaky mind reader. So, I'll tell you once and never again to evacuate my head," you told him. Grinning playfully, you punched him lightly on the shoulder. "I know that you lose your head a lot, so stay out of mine! **Just get yourself a neck for crying out loud!** "

Bendy smirked and ran his hand through the space where his neck should've been to prove he didn't have- or need- a neck. "Why? Do you think I'd look better with one? I have been awfully attracted to yours…"

"Are you jealous of my neck?!" you demanded thinking that what he just said sounded both dreamy and creepy at the same time.

The ink demon just shrugged and flashed you a foxy expression. "Only if you want me to be."

"Geez, it feels like your going way over the speed limit for a first date, Bendy," Boris pointed out keeping him from continuing. Bendy looked a little disappointed.

"Sheesh, you're choking me with the restraint straps, Boris! Choking me! And I don't even have a neck! If I sound too creepy, (y/n) can tell me, right? Was I being too creepy, (y/n)?" Bendy questioned you. After seeing you shake your head no, he nodded with approval. "See? It's all good."

Rolling his eyes a little, Boris just continued walking. You and Bendy just continued talking about whatever. Why I'm not saying what the conversation was about is because it consisted mostly of foreign cooking classes and bungee jumping in a street jacket over a pit of poisonous vipers and marshmallows. Who knows how it got to that point.

"I think that the episode took place in Arizona or something… Joey just sorta handed me this backpack thing and connected me to a cord. The street jacket was my idea, though! He seemed a little confused and I was like, 'It's for the fandom!' and stuff. And then I jumped! The episode was cut out because they made the cord too long and I fell almost to my doom into the pit of vipers and almost ended up in the hospital for a month! The only reason I survived was because of the fact that I am a cartoon and that I landed on the marshmallows. But MAN did Boris lecture Joey for letting me do something as stupid as that! I don't even know where the vipers or the marshmallows came from!" Bendy explained to you.

While the both of you were laughing at the story, Boris tapped on your shoulder. "Hey, guys!" When he got your attention, you realized where you were. The shining water gleamed and you gasped at the fact that it was prettier than last time. Bendy hopped off of Boris with amazement.

He ran up to the wooden dock and peered in to see little fish swimming around in the moonlight.

"Wow!" he exclaimed. Setting down the telescope onto the grassy ground, he came running back. "If only all lakes were as pretty as this one. Well, I guess if that was true, then this one wouldn't be special anymore," he pointed out to himself.

Boris knelt down and helped you shift over to the grass. Inspecting the telescope, you realized that it looked completely new. Either Wally Franks never removed the telescope from the box or Bendy kept it in extremely good condition for a _long_ time. Bendy plopped onto the grass beside you.

"You can start looking through that book and I'll just start messing with this thing. You know how it is," Bendy said as he started looking through the telescope and then making adjustments and applying filters.

Flipping through the book, you found many different patterns and really long, complicated names. Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Capricornus, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Cetus, and many others. One that stood out was the name Andromeda. It also happened to be the first one in the book, so you opened to the page with interest.

"Hey, Bendy! I found something interesting on page ten. It's the story of Andromeda!" you told him holding up the page.

Bendy, still messing with the telescope, looked over at the page. "Sounds like the name of a BPO company started in 1992."

"That's because that is the name of a BPO company started in 1992," Boris replied. What a coinkidink!

"The book states, "It was thought that Andromeda was the daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia – who boasted about her own beauty to the sea nymphs. The nymphs became enraged at the Queen's arrogance and complained to Poseidon. In retaliation, the sea-god sent a sea monster to flood the King's land. The only way he could return his land to its once glorious splendor was to sacrifice his daughter to Cetus. Andromeda was chained to a rock and left to die; however, Perseus came along and saved her." (Information found from ). Hm… He sounds manly!" was your first reaction to the story.

Bendy laughed at your acknowledgment. "Oh, of course, you fall for the hero who rescues the damsel! Let me guess, he transforms into a white horse with wings?"

"That's Pegasus. This is talking about Perseus. We're talking about purses, not horses," you replied.

"Purses?" Boris asked.

"Yeah! That's where he keeps the diamond swords!" Bendy explained to Boris. He picked up a stick to represent the sword.

"All Greek gods carry purses," you stated randomly. "Don't worry, Zeus did too. That's where he keeps the lightning bolts.

"What?" Boris asked in confusion.

Now that Bendy was playing completely along to the idea, you got a new objective. You signaled towards Boris and Bendy nodded. He continued on his randomness rampage. "Poseidon had a purse too! The waves in the ocean are created by him dumping out everything in that purse!"

"Uh…, I don't think-"

"What about Hades?! Don't suppose he had a purse too?!" you demanded to Bendy.

Bendy nodded quickly and started talking a mile a minute. "Well, duh! I practically know him PURSEonally! The purse is where he keeps all the dead people!"

"He must have, like, three purses then for each type of PURSEon. Must've been heavy," you stated as you started thinking about it.

"That was why he wanted Zeus's job," Bendy answered.

Finally, Boris just stood up shaking his head. "I know what the two of you are doing! You're just trying to get rid of me! You know, you could have just asked me to leave…," the wolf pointed out.

"NO! I couldn't possibly! I'd never- Yeah. I totally am," Bendy replied with a devilish grin. You couldn't help but snicker at the situation.

Boris just stood to his feet, shrugged, and then left without another word. As if nothing even happened, Bendy shifted the telescope over to you. "I think I got the thing working! The magnifier was set really low, but I got it fixed now. Also, the moon's brightness won't be as much of an issue. I had no idea stars were more than just dots in the sky."

Glancing through the telescope, you noticed that you were staring straight at Saturn. It was hard to believe that you were staring at the real thing. Especially since it was so far away. "How high is the magnification on this thing? That's impressive! Congrats, Bendy! You found a gas giant."

"What's that?" Bendy asked completely unaware of the term.

"It's a planet made of gas. There are, like, four of them in our solar system. This one is Saturn. The other three are Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune," you explained realizing that you sounded like a teacher giving their student a lecture about the solar system. You were glad that Bendy didn't seem to mind because he was fascinated.

"What's the difference between a star and a planet? I mean, they both look practically the same. They're both giant circles drifting around in outer space. Does it really matter if they revolve around the sun or not? I bet the name of planet Pluto that it doesn't matter!" he declared boldly. There was an awkward silence and you remembered that he didn't know. Bendy blinked with worry wondering if he did something wrong. "What?"

"Uh…, Pluto's not a planet anymore, Bendy."

"It's not?"

"No…"

"Okay…, then I guess that it does matter since I bet something and lost that. If it revolves around the sun, then it matters!" Bendy shouted with a point towards the sky.

"That sounds like a political poster, doesn't it?" you asked.

"Yes."

The night pressed on as you stuffed your brain with star knowledge. However, the longer the night ran, the more you regretted your decision of wearing a dress. A shiver rippled through your entire upper body when a gust of wind tried to shove you over. You pressed your knees up to your chest instinctively to try to preserve as much body heat as possible. It was really cold… Bendy acknowledged this and inched closer. "Nasty wind, isn't it?"

"Y-Yes… One disadvantage about a dress is that they're not meant to keep you warm…," you answered suppressing another shiver. You might've been able to control that, but the goosebumps still ran up and down your entire body. You knew you were fooling no one.

As you braced yourself for the next gust, you tensed up to shove all of your muscles to the battle line to defend you from the cold. You didn't realize that you didn't need to. A warm, inky body pressed against yours and drew you closer to his chest. The mighty gusts stood no chance, but that wasn't really what you were thinking about.

"Hehe… I didn't know your face could get so red," Bendy said in your ear lightly. It sent goosebumps up your arms. This time, Bendy knew he was the cause. "Is this too close or are you not telling me something?"

At a loss for words, you could feel him rest his hand on your shoulder. You were still tensed up into a ball on the ground and it did kinda hurt. Slowly, you let the shoulders fall back to a comfortable position as well as the rest of your body. It only drew you closer to Bendy and you knew he caught you in his trap. Not that you really wanted to escape, though.

"Why tense up? I know the real reason isn't because you were scared of some wind," he said noting the fact that you avoided his gaze. Surely not even you could find a good reason to stare at grass. The sudden act got you flustered. He knew that pretty well.

Looking up from the green blades of grass, you shrugged your shoulders. "You just caught me off guard, Bendy! I've never really been this close to a guy before, so what do you expect? Hello, everybody! Just go ahead and pop my bubble of personal space! Not that those really exist anymore for some people…"

"Caught you off guard, huh? You can believe what you want, but if I didn't know better, I'd say it was more than that! Either that or it was just my wishful thinking getting in the way of reality. Are you suuuure you don't have this huge crush on me?" he asked hopefully.

You swatted him away. "You wish!"

"Really sure?"

"Sure enough."

"So not completely sure!"

"Hey! So I don't know what my feelings for you are yet! So what?" you demanded to find that there were butterflies bouncing all over the place in your stomach.

Bendy shrugged his shoulders and then released you. "Fine! If you want to be free so much, then who am I to stand in your way?" He went back to the telescope.

Instantly, you knew his scheme as another wind gust shot into you. The warmth that was there five seconds ago vanished and what replaced the heat was regret. Instead of sitting in the curled up ball again, you latched onto Bendy so fast that he jumped in surprise.

"Hey-! Um… Okay! This works!" he commented noting the fact that the two of you just switched places. "Sheesh, I didn't expect you to be so jumpy."

"Well, I didn't expect you to be so jumpy either!" you told him. Desperately, you tried to find an excuse. "Yeah! I was just trying to get back at you for what you did to me, creep!"

When a slow, sly grin crossed his face, you knew you messed up. He _**knew**_. "Creep? Well, if you were seeking vengeance, then why are you blushing?" He snickered when you looked from left to right guiltily. "Why does it look like I just struck a nerve?"

"Because-... I think…"

He easily escaped your grip and sat shoulder to shoulder with you. His arm intertwined with yours and his eyes glowing as if he was a three-year-old about to get the present they always wanted. Despite the fact that he was many years older than you, he still had this childish factor to him. He gripped your arm harder. "I just want to know. I… really do love you, (y/n)... But… If you say that you really don't share my feelings…, I can force myself to live with that and act like none of this really happened…," he told you. His voice deepened when he told you this. The words were cold and laced with fear. A fear that it would happen.

"You don't have to do that…"

"No, it'd be too awkward for me if we did act like it existed. You wake up in the morning and see the gal who you have a huge crush on that you took out the day before and it all completely failed. I don't know about you, but that's the last thing I want to think about," he explained shuddering at the thought. The glow in his eyes began to die away because he knew if he had to explain it…

"That's not what I meant…," you replied.

"Then what did you really mean by that?"

There was a pause. Barely a moment's hesitation went by and you remembered. Watching a projection so longingly so long ago, you leaned against the wall with the projection. Instead of meeting a 2-D world, you met your own shadow and disappointment would flood through your heart. This time, you leaned forward and there wasn't a wall. Lightly, your lips met his cheek. The wind seemed to stop dead and you could only hear the sounds of the night. When you drew back, his eyes were shining.

"I meant that… I love you, Bendy."

Bendy looked like he was going to say something, but a howl broke out in the distance. A wolf howl. Bendy perked up in alarm and looked back to see Boris sprinting towards them.

"DUCK!" he shouted.

Before you could even think, Bendy yanked you to the ground right as a deafening gunshot rang through the clearing and a bullet struck the ground right next to you. It nearly gave you a heart attack.

Just barely refraining himself from uttering a swear, Bendy pulled you to your feet. The chase didn't last long. As soon as the weight came down on your leg, pain jolted through you and you shouted in surprise. Back to your knees you fell. Boris showed up just then as another fire went off.

"What's going on?!" Bendy demanded.

Boris picked you up from the ground and looked in the direction the shots came from. You looked that way expecting to see Reina Drew, Henry's wife. Instead, the silhouette that stood against the moonlight was different from the picture you saw from Henry's diary. You glanced back at Bendy and you could see recognition and dread flashing into his eyes.

"No… Please no… Please, not now! NOT NOW!" the ink demon shouted to the universe. He flinched when the dark figure laughed in the distance.

"My lord…, you thought you could escape me… You thought that you could replace my love with her's! I can't allow you to love anyone besides me! Have I not been more loyal to you than her?! Don't I deserve your loving embrace more than she?!" the figure demanded. His voice was deep and familiar. He was obviously a man. Boris shivered with fear.

The black man walked closer with his hunting rifle held close. The only reason he wasn't firing anymore was because he was out of ammo. You couldn't see his face because it was hidden behind a Bendy mask. He saw the confusion and fear in your eyes and laughed. "I'm not surprised by the fact that you're scared! You should be for making a move on my savior. Why, your face is so familiar… Do I know you? Wait. You must be… Oh, this is priceless. I never expected to meet Drew's granddaughter again. (Y/N), was it? Well, I doubt you remember me. So, let me clear this up. The name is Sammy. Sammy Lawrence."


	15. Chapter 13 Trial And Error

Chapter 13 Trial And Error

"You mean… the old music director?" you asked tilting your head to one side. You wondered why a music director would have a hunting rifle. When you read about Sammy, you always imagined him as a tall, stiff dude with glasses that made him look like a music geek. Based on what stood before you, it was obvious how wrong you were. It was just plain scary actually. He was smothered in ink and had on an old Bendy mask. He wore overalls that looked… suspiciously like Boris's. Everything about him unnerved you in every way. So much that you didn't even think he was a human anymore.

Sammy bowed as a reply to your question. "In the flesh. Or… ink. However, I gave that up to help Joey out with one of his projects. Alas, it put me in this inky prison, but it did have its advantages. For example…," Sammy explained with his voice trailing off at the end. His head swivelled to meet Bendy's defiant gaze. He knelt down. "It let me be like my savior…," he finished.

You looked to Bendy in bewilderment and questions. "Do you force people to worship you?!" you demanded. The very thought was disturbing.

Bendy's eyes lashed back as if the very thought of him being an idol to humanity disgusted him. "Why would I want that?! I never wanted that much from a human! To some, it may be flattering, but when it comes to Sammy Lawrence, it's just plain ridiculous!" he shouted.

"Then why does he do it?" you questioned still thoroughly confused. Sammy looked up to answer the question.

"Because… I want to… And I love Bendy more than anyone in this world ever could!" he shouted for the universe to hear.

He looked up to see that his audience was already leaving. Sammy looked rejected for a second but none more. He sprinted after them. "Wait! Don't leave without me! I can't leave my lord with that wench!"

"WENCH?!" you demanded. You flailed in Boris's grip. "LET ME GO! LET ME GO! I NEED TO KILL HIM!"

Bendy glanced from you to Sammy. He looked somewhat ticked off. Then, he flashed back towards Sammy. "Don't you dare… call me or her… by anything other than our first names! UNDERSTOOD SAMMY?" Bendy asked trying really hard to restrain himself from strangling Sammy.

The music director bowed again. "If that's… what you wish my lor-! I mean, Bendy!" he corrected. He began to follow from a distance behind you. The problem he had was that he went on… and on… and on… and on…

"I only discovered a while ago that you were here and I just figured that it was nothing! I mean, how often does Bendy get a love interest in any human girl… I thought he liked Alice for a little while, but the two fight like cats and dogs. Probably because they are so different from each other… Anyway! As I was saying, I didn't think that you being here would be an issue until I realized that Bendy started talking to his look-alike plush doll about you. When I saw the two of you on that rope on the side of a building, I couldn't help but feel jealous that he'd care more about your safety than mine. So, I fired a gun at you! The only reason I'm not shooting you now is because I'm out of bullets and-"

"Make him stop talking!" Boris finally shouted.

You had been somewhat interested in what he was saying, but the fact that he wouldn't let anyone else say anything while he was ranting was a problem. Henry did once talk to you about a strange man who was over-obsessed with his job who loved to ramble and rant. Now you realize this is who he was talking about. "At least, give the wench a chance to talk!" you spat. The insult was still fresh in your mind and you doubted you would ever forgive Sammy for saying that.

"Why should I when you steal the love of my life?" Sammy asked looking back to his gun. It was exactly like Reina's gun. It stirred up a question in your brain.

"Hey, I know it's completely off topic, but where'd you get that gun?" you asked thinking back to the photo.

Sammy looked down at it. "This? I've had it almost my entire life. My father gave it to me back before I was a music director. I wasn't a bad hunter back then, but I see that I've gotten a little rusty. My intention was to shoot you, (y/n)," he replied ominously.

Ignoring his threat, you continued. "Do you know Reina? Henry's wife? She had a gun exactly like that one."

He nodded his head slowly. "I think I met her once. I was invited to Henry's wedding, but I didn't really care for those. I just sent him my spare gun as a gift. Come to think of it, Henry was never really into shooting… I'm not surprised that he gave it to Reina. She was always a fiery woman. I can see her out in the woods shooting squirrels and deer and then eating them. You know, after cooking them of course."

"So that's it…"

"Wait, Henry has a wife?" Boris asked with interest.

Bendy nodded to himself. "Yeah, I heard him talking to Joey about it. Even now, I find it hard to believe that he had a life outside of this little town. Turns out he also had a son named Oliver. Henry quit soon after Oliver died in that boating accident which made sense." Bendy shook his head. "I feel bad for Reina… But she's a human, so I won't worry about it."

Boris shrugged from the comment with a grin. "Well, you haven't changed much over the last few hours! But I'm curious, what happened?"

"I thought it was a peck on the cheek, but it almost became my doom!" you said with yet another annoyed glance at Sammy.

"Heh. Didn't think you'd get that far on a first date. We're almost back to the studio. Maybe Bendy and I can have a… conversation with Sammy over what just happened while you get some shut-eye," Boris replied. The thought of sleep did sound appealing.

"We're almost back to the studio already?" you questioned taking glances from one side to another. He was right. The door wasn't too far.

Bendy was half running beside Boris and the wolf was just taking fast large steps. Sammy was behind a little, but the point probably was to get away from him. "Well, we have been moving kind of fast."

Once back inside, the pace decreased tremendously and Boris made his way back towards Joey's old bedroom which was now yours. The wolf gently set you down onto the comfy covers and then stretched his arms. "Man, that was a workout! I think my arms need a little rest too!" he said ruffling your hair.

"You're the best, Boris. Tomorrow, all three of us will do something fun together," you promised.

Your glance drifted towards Bendy who was standing inside the doorway against a wall. He looked a lot less chipper than usual. It seemed more like he was lost in thought. More than likely about Sammy.

"Well, I'm gonna be seeing what Sammy has to say for himself. After all, I know you have a few things to say to Bendy. Good night, (y/n)!" Boris told you as he stepped out the door. He slammed the door closed bringing Bendy out of his deep trance.

There was an awkward pause as Bendy tried to think up words. You tried to break the ice a few times but failed. Eyes falling to the floor, you couldn't help but hope for Bendy to just say something so he could end the awkwardness.

"Sorry."

"Huh?" you asked jumping at the sudden word.

"I didn't stop him when I had a chance… I knew it was Sammy the whole time," he finally admitted. Everything about him was expressionless.

You felt that he knew Sammy for a long time and for him to say that he was alone in an animation studio for so long was a lie. It would've made sense for him to already know. Something told you that you were supposed to feel betrayed by that confession. It wasn't betrayal, but confusion. Why? "So…, if you knew it was Sammy, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you stop him?"

"Because…" His eyes became somewhat regretful as he thought the answer over and over in his mind. "I didn't want you to worry about it…"

"Well, you must not be thinking very clearly because you did the exact opposite of that," you replied not intending to be mean about it.

He seemed happy to receive the brutal truth. It was enough to tell him you were being honest. "I kinda figured that out when he started shooting that stupid gun earlier. I figured that if I told you that I knew and then explained that I was keeping a yandere around that you'd start suspecting me again. I didn't do anything because the only way to stop Sammy Lawrence is to kill him. If I told him to die, he'd do it. If anyone came between me and him, he'd have to kill them. Although, I didn't want to break that promise I made about killing, so I've had no choice but to keep him around and keep everything a secret," he explained.

Knowing how clingy Sammy was to Bendy, it all suddenly made sense. You nodded in understanding. "I don't really see what the huge issue is here. I actually don't care about you not telling me about Sammy. I'm more worried about the fact that he wants me dead. What do I do?! What should I be thinking right now?!" was the first thing asked after his long explanation. You hoped that he'd give an actual answer.

"I can't really answer that. You should decide what you should think. As stated before, the only way to stop the madman is to kill him. Neither of us wants it to come down to that, I'm sure," Bendy replied. It wasn't an "I don't know" but it wasn't an "I have a plan" either.

You sat hugging your knees and then closed your eyes. Probably from either exhaustion or worry. Sitting in the midst of the darkness of uncertainty, you felt an assuring arm wrap around your shoulders. Bendy drew you in close and whispered, "But you have me." His tail curled around your arm and slowly he added, "I can and will keep you safe."

You allowed a brief smile to cross your face. "You'd better." A minute or two of this passed and you could feel yourself begin to nod off into a dream. A dream that was warm and comforting without any problems. It was a shame it was all going to end so soon.

Eyes fluttering open, you detected a scent wafting through the air. Cinnamon. You were now tucked nicely into bed and your head was resting on a fluffy pillow. Throwing off the covers, you noticed a piece of paper crumpled up in your hand. In Bendy's fancy hand handwriting, all it said was this one sentence.

Thank you, (y/n).

Sincerely, Bendy

Smiling a little, you folded it neatly and placed it on the nightstand beside your bed. After changing into suitable clothes, you investigated the scent. It brought you out of your bedroom door and down the hallway. A simple turn later and SHA-ZAM! You saw Sammy Lawrence holding up a tray full of cinnamon rolls. He was wearing an ink-stained cooking apron. Nothing can even comprehend how thankful you were that it didn't say, 'Kiss the Chef'. However, the rolls did smell good.

"Oh, uh, hey. I think that we started off on the wrong foot yesterday. You know, me shooting at you and everything. So, let's start over! Hi. I'm Sammy Lawrence. Bendy's ultimate follower," Sammy reintroduced.

"Uh, hi? I'm (y/n). Bendy's only girlfriend."

Sammy growled a little at your response which almost made you grin. Something about making Sammy mad appealed to you. Whether or not it was because it was funny or because you wanted revenge is up to you. "Yeah, I know. You didn't have to remind me." He straightened up as if nothing had happened.

You directed your attention back to the rolls in his hands. Chewy golden dough with swirls of brown sugar and cinnamon sprinkled over the roll back and forth from one end to the other. As tempting as it was to snatch one up, you instead slapped on a skeptical look. "So, what are these? The catalyst to a life with Bendy or something? If they are, I know what you're planning," you pointed out.

Sammy shook his head at you. You couldn't tell if he was really disappointed or just acting. "Why would you assume that I'd do something terrible to you, my dear little sheep? Don't they look so… delicious…?" he asked hypnotically.

"Oh, so I'm a sheep now! And after you called me a WENCH yesterday. I dunno… That name makes me feel like a lamb about to be slaughtered. Somehow, that makes me trust you less," you replied.

Sammy huffed again. "Based on how stubborn you're being, I should've called you a mule! MULE! Eat this roll!" he yelled losing his patience.

"Now you're just being rude," you told him losing interest. As you turned your back on him, you saw Boris standing in the doorway. He was nodding at you.

"That was entertaining! Very wise choice you made, (y/n). I wouldn't try anything that scoundrel made. Bendy was right. Sammy did poison those. But what do you expect from an old hermit who plays Frankenstein in a creepy basement with way too much time on his hands and no friends?" Boris asked with a shrug.

Bendy suddenly came crashing down from the ceiling and flung his hands in the air. "Oh, my gosh, Sammy! He totally just roasted you!"

You could only laugh as Sammy threw his cinnamon rolls against the wall and hung his head. "Whatever…," he moped.

Bendy glanced in your direction. As soon as he did, he ran over with the scheming look in his eyes. Before you could ask, he rapidly whispered his plan. "Say, that was fun! You think so too. I can tell. What do you say to annoying the heck out of Sammy?" he asked.

At first, you thought he was crazy, but the longer you thought about it, the more you thought it was a great idea. You hoped there was an evil glow in your eyes. "That sounds fun… How will we do it?" you asked him.

"Okay, the battle strategy is simple. We just have to play the over-in-love sweethearts right in front of his face! It'll make him so mad!" Bendy plotted rubbing his hands together with glee.

Something felt wrong about the plan to you. "What do you mean we have to "play the over-in-love sweethearts?" I thought we were sweethearts!"

"We are, (y/n). I never said we weren't. What I meant is that we should overdo it! You know, pet names, eye-gazing, physical contact, and whatever will make his teeth grind! You get what I mean?" he asked.

Nodding your head, you smirked. You raised your voice for Sammy to hear. "Anything for you, my little ink penguin!"

When Sammy looked over in alarm, Bendy started laughing hysterically. Boris smirked at Sammy. Mostly because seeing his enemy angry appealed to him. Overall, the reactions were all a bit over the top.

"I don't see what's so funny! Surely to refer to my lord Bendy as a penguin is highly punishable. I'd think that the mule wouldn't know anything about humor," Sammy grumbled.

"Oh really? I'd think that the old hermit wouldn't know anything about humor," Boris mimicked. Sammy hung his head again with a groan. So that was why he wanted the wolf dead…

"I love it almost as much as you! Nothing can surpass the feelings of which I must express… I thank you my love…," Bendy announced as he knelt to one knee and lightly kissed your hand.

Your cheeks became a dusted pink. Bendy's been bold but never that bold! While you knew in his mind he was acting, you were also sure that his heart wasn't. It was too much to resist a glance at Sammy Lawrence. Sure enough, though he was wearing a mask, it was easy to tell that he was mad. He knew what you were up to.

"If you'll excuse me…," Sammy growled practically marching himself out of the room in an angry fit. A few seconds after he left, you heard a door slam loudly a hallway over.

There was a moment's pause and Bendy stood to his feet. You found yourself giggling to yourself when he did. Boris too was snickering in the corner. Bendy was grinning as if he just won the gold in the Olympics and was then joining in. The real question though was why everyone was laughing at something so minor. Was it because of Sammy throwing a hissy fit, because he was being shot by rude comments all morning, or just because of the morning in general?

Boris caught his breath and seemed to remember something. "Actually, I just remembered why I came in here! I brought donuts!" he announced.

"Donuts?" Bendy asked.

"Donuts," Boris replied.

"Donuts!" you shouted for no reason.

"DONUTS!" you heard Sammy shout from the hallway over.

You inquired if everyone, including yourself, was nuts. But hey, donuts are donuts and donuts are good. I'm getting tired of saying donuts, so I'll keep the word to a minimum from now on! I promise. Maybe.

So, there was a momentary pause in the story to indulge on… round doughy things that were really delicious and stuff.

"Wow. Who knew that a new donut place was put up just down the street? These are amazing! What do you think, my colorful Autumn sunset?" Bendy asked elbowing you. You remembered the agreement.

"They're fine by me, my handsome magpie," you replied brushing against him.

"You seem to have a bird theme going on here, (y/n). Any particular reason?" Boris asked feeling curious.

Shrugging your shoulders, you thought up a reply. "I don't know… He makes my heart soar like a bird… Okay, that sounded so cliche!"

"Everything's cliche anymore!" Boris exclaimed.

Bendy then yawned loudly. He flopped onto his back onto the floor and stretched his arms for the ceiling. Then his arms flopped down by his sides. "I'm so bored now, Boris! Let's do something!" he whined.

"Wanna go someplace?" Boris suggested.

"I don't feel like travelling…," you pointed out thinking about Boris who would have to carry you everywhere simply because you were unable to stand on your own yet. Why did broken bones have to take forever and a day to recover? Bendy nodded in agreement anyway.

Bendy hopped to his feet with an idea. "We should play a game!" he suggested cheerfully.

Suddenly, Sammy came running back into the room with a Japanese katana. "Let's play Sammy ties up the girlfriend in a creepy basement and then slashes her to death as a human sacrifice!" he shouted.

"Wow! Rude! I think that's going to give me nightmares! I thought games were supposed to be fun!" you retorted angrily.

"Death is fun!" Sammy shot back.

"Shut it, Sammy!" Bendy snapped.

While Sammy started griping about being shouted at by his lord Bendy, Boris seemed to get an idea. "Why not a game of hide-and-seek?" he asked.

Sammy shook his head disapprovingly. "Murder mystery sounds better."

"I believe (y/n) should decide," Boris cut in breaking off Sammy's griping.

It didn't really matter to you what game they played just so long as it kept you away from the murderous yandere music director. "Hide-and-seek sounds fun."

"Well, if that's the case, I suggest that we go in pairs to make up for (y/n)'s injury. One pair will hide and the other will seek," Boris recommended.

"Oi… I should have known!" you shouted feeling really annoyed.

Bendy quickly tried to make a partner vote before he could possibly be forced into compulsory volunteerism. You know, being forced into a group with Sammy. "Okay, I wanna go with-"

"ME!" Sammy intervened.

"No! Not you!" Bendy hissed swatting Sammy away as if he were a fly with a deadly disease. "Only (y/n)!"

Sammy stood up taller as if he knew something Bendy didn't. "My lord, think logically for one moment. Due to your size, I'd doubt that you'd be an efficient transport for the "fair maiden." I believe Boris would be better for her because he can easily get her around due to his strength. Therefore, I-" He stopped when he realized Bendy wasn't even listening. "Why does it have to be like this…?"

You blinked wondering why Sammy was still even trying. "Well, if you're so concerned about my health, then why don't you carry me around, huh?" Obviously, you weren't expecting him to actually do it.

Suddenly, Sammy had a eureka moment. "OF COURSE! That's how I can make it up to my lord! I'll partner with his girlfriend and then it'll be like I'm part of the family! I'll gain everyone's trust! (Y/N), you can just call me bro."

"Never!"

Sammy ignored you and bounded up into Bendy's face. "Isn't it the best plan? Surely I, Sammy Lawrence, deserve the honor of having a second chance! And if I accidentally harm her in any way, you can wring my neck, flatten me, suffocate me, stuff me in a dryer, and kill me for all I care! PLEASE!" he begged on his knees. The sudden change in personality was a little alarming.

"Uh…," Bendy started just to be interrupted again.

"If you don't, then I'll have no choice but to write all of my praises to you on the walls for everyone to see! You got really ticked off the last time I did that," Sammy childishly threatened.

Boris stepped forward not willing to let Bendy answer for himself. "Fine! Just get away from us and shut up!"

Bendy gave Boris a pleading look. It said, 'But Boris! We can't leave (y/n) there with him alone!' and stuff. The wolf was too busy thinking about his hatred for Sammy Lawrence.

Sammy bowed all the way down to the floor before Boris. "Thank you! Thank you! You won't regret this decision! Should I count first?"

"No. We'll count first. Because we don't want to see you," Boris growled.

Ouch. ^-^;

Before long, the game was on and Sammy ran off with you tight in his grasp. Quick and light were his feet as he ran down stairs and across wooden hallways. He came screeching to a halt in front of a large door. In the basement, nonetheless. It really didn't look much different than the first floor. Sammy turned to you. "I think we should hide here for the time being. What do you think?"

"You don't really want to hide here… I can hear it in your voice… What are you planning?" you asked trying not to sound nervous.

He was silent. The cold, dark pits in the center of his mask which were supposed to be the eyes burned into your skin. You shivered by the mood change again. "Perceptive… Very perceptive… I just have some questions for you. I'd recommend thinking hard before you answer them," he replied in a deep voice.

Trembling slightly by the intensity, Sammy set you onto the floor. "Do you… truly love Bendy with all of your heart?"

Thinking about what you should say, you didn't want to lie. You figured that you should just stay as close to the truth as possible. "When I was eight, I loved Bendy very much. However, the ten years we've been apart, I feel like I don't quite know the same Bendy… But he still remembers and cares about me. While he may not be completely innocent, I must answer yes. I do believe that I love him with all of my heart!"

Sammy nodded slowly. "Interesting selection of words… How do you feel about my love for Bendy?"

"A little strange, but you can love what you want!"

He leaned forward as if his next question was going to be more important than all of the others. "If you died right now, how do you think Bendy would react, then?"

Shuddering, you pressed against the wall feeling cornered. "He'd become a monster… He'd desire for justice to be done and for blood to be shed if I died…," you replied. There was a silence as you awaited his response.

"Interesting. I wonder how accurate your answer is. I guess we'll find out won't we?"

You realized what was going on and you began thrashing to get away from him, but it was no use. Sammy swung open the door and dragged you inside. You swatted, kicked, and screamed. Nobody heard your cries for help. Sammy whistled loud and long as if summoning something and then kicked you on the floor. "It's a shame I have to do this… but I can't have anything or anyone get in my way. I don't care how much you love Bendy! All that matters is that I'm the one who gets his attention. Farewell, little sheep…," he told you before slamming the door shut and locking you in.

Snatching the handle and frantically trying to turn it, you finally gave up on it and realized it was no use. The room was silent. Turning slowly to investigate what could possibly be there, out of the corner of your eye, something shifted. When you looked, it was gone. There were black ink puddles scattered throughout the room. When you turned back, they each had moved. Shuddering, you pressed your spine against the door in terror. Whatever they were, they were alive. It was clear to see they were getting closer. "G-Get away from me!" you cried when they came yet closer still. One hand latched to the door handle and another reaching for a weapon, you felt the beginning of a scream rise in your throat. Suddenly, black, inky monsters shot up out of the ink puddles in a growling fit of anger! One snatched your arm and another claimed your leg. They seemed to be trying to slowly drown you or something.

"No no no no nonononononononononono! Get off of me! You can't do this to me! I haven't even done anything!" you pleaded. They just kept on dragging you down into the ink.

One growled and slashed at your face. That was when it was too much.

"BENDY!"

The ink monsters all froze at the name and looked around frantically. Looking at you again, they seemed to recognize you and began shouting in a foreign language at each other. One wouldn't stop pointing at you, one was trembling, and the others cast uneasy glances at each other. It was all very confusing.

"What's… going on? Why aren't you attacking me anymore?" you asked not really expecting an answer.

An ink monster sloshed up before you. "(Y/...N)...," it said in a weird way. Its comrades slowly backed it up.

"Y-Yes?" The reply was so quiet that you thought you were a mouse. However, they heard it loud and clear.

"Rargh! Master mad!" screeched one.

Another simply shivered. "Master squash us… Just like Wilden…," it whimpered.

"But Sammy!" squawked another. "He tell us drown or be dead!"

"Ah, Sammy…," some repeated while nodding.

"Master hate Sammy!" exclaimed a smaller one.

A much larger one growled and slapped its inky hand over the smaller one's mouth. "SHH! That be true… but room never safe. Walls always be listenin'!"

The sudden conversation broke the tension, but they were all panicked. Feeling much less frightened, you glanced around with questions bubbling in your mind. "Uh…, am I missing something?"

All the chattering stopped as all black obsidian eyes shot to you. One came forward. "You be young betrothed… We mean not hurt you! We threatened by Sammy. Sammy scary and tell us we die if we don't drown human. We know not it Master's love! He kill all of us if you hurt! Just like he squash Wilden for spying on Master's love. Now we be scared!" it explained fearfully.

All of the monsters agreed. They huddled together in doubt and worry. You nodded with understanding. "So, you're scared of Bendy, huh? Wait… Young betrothed? Wilden?"

They ignored your questions and erupted in shouts again. "AHH! We dare not speak his name! Sammy forbid it! Only he call of Master Bendy- AH!" it cried realizing its mistake.

"You say it! We dead!"

"And in front of Master's love! We dead, we dead, we dead! He chop us with ax now! She tell Master and Sammy!"

"NO! NOT SAMMY! He tell terrible lies to the Master about us! WE DEAD INK!"

With those three comments, all of them burst into tears of fear. Wailing filled the entire room.

To not drive yourself insane, you knew you had to do something. And by something, you mean not say something. "I won't tell anyone!"

They all looked to you again in silence. Then, cheerful rejoicing!

"Really?! You not tell?! Maybe we not dead! Maybe Master and Sammy not know!" chirped a happy voice.

"Yeah, Lady keep secret!"

"Yes… Lady keep secret for sure…," you answered glad that they weren't all crying anymore.

At that very moment, the door was flung open. You were now sitting directly in front of the door, so the force sent you crashing into the wall. It smashed the back of your head making everything start spinning.

Shrieks and loud booming voices exploded from the spinning room in front of you. Sammy was yelling at them. Something about them not doing their jobs. The door pulled away and you flopped to the floor uncontrollably. An inky hand grabbed your hand and dragged you across the floor. He stopped in the middle of the room and held up something shiny. He brought it down on one of the monsters and it screamed in pain. Black was everywhere. All of the smashing and banging was making you start to see stars. Yep! There it is! Betelgeuse! A crash, a yell, something black slathered across your arms, legs, and face, and then a hard bash on the head. Everything went dark. Except Betelgeuse.

What seemed like an eternity later was actually only fifteen minutes. Blinking awake, you felt your eyes stinging from the ink that flooded into them. It almost felt like you had a hangover and your head hurt. There were more black blotches on you than spots on a Dalmatian. Sure enough, Bendy was shaking you awake. "C'mon… wake up… I know it hurts. Probably a lot… I know it's all my fault for letting you go with that creep in the first place! Just… wake up so you can chew me out or something!"

You forced yourself to move. Luckily, the world didn't start spinning again when you tried to rub the ink from your eyes. It stung. You didn't dare try to move anywhere else, so you spoke. "Stop blaming yourself. You had nothing to do with this… Where's the wolf…?" you inquired weakly.

He let out a long sigh of relief. "He's talking to Sammy. You know, asking what happened and why. Do you remember anything?"

"There were these ink monsters… And this door. That's about it I'm afraid…," you replied. He didn't seem to feel any better and was looking both depressed and irritated at the same time.

"Boris should be the one here… He's the one who needs to apologize to you. It was because of him that you ended up in Sammy's group in the first place. And… I didn't say anything. It makes me feel really lousy because I promised to protect you and I've been failing to uphold it. I'll have to make it up to you somehow…," he said.

"Oh! Don't worry! The more injuries I get, the more exciting my life is," you answered sarcastically. Then you became serious about what you were saying. "I'll forgive you, though. Because how can I not? Besides, I think we should be figuring out who did this to me!"

A lightbulb lit up above Bendy's head and then vanished. He got an idea. "I could find out who did this! I just need an ink sample."

Glancing at your pitch black arm, you shrugged. "That's the one thing we have a lot of. Whatever you want, Bendy."

He gently lifted your arm and you expected him to just inspect it. Rather than doing that, he drew his finger down your arm and licked the ink he had collected off of his finger. Before you could even marvel at the fact that he did have a tongue after all, he made an odd face. "This is… not what I was expecting…"

"Not what I was expecting either…," you replied.

"It's saltier than normal… Almost like… Well, that doesn't make any sense!" Bendy announced standing to his feet with curiosity.

"What is it?! The anticipation is stabbing me in the face!"

"Searcher blood! There's no doubt about it! Which can mean only one thing… Sammy lied," Bendy said more to himself than you. None of the puzzle pieces were coming together.

"Searchers? Sammy? Huh?"

Bendy realized that you had no idea what was going on. He cleared his throat. "When you got attacked, Sammy came rushing up to us yelling about the Searchers attacking you to death. Of course, we both panicked and ran after him. However, we lost him and it took us fifteen minutes to find you," he saw you were still confused and remembered that you didn't know what a Searcher was. "Those black ink monsters are the Searchers if you didn't know. Anyway, I'm guessing that Sammy came straight back here to find that something went wrong and that you weren't dead. So, to solve this problem, he jabbed one of the Searchers, drenched you in their blood to make it believable, and then knocked you on the side of the head to knock you out. Then I show up and you know the rest."

"Oh… I can't believe that Sammy's still trying to kill me! Is this place ever safe?!" you demanded.

"Nope."

"It's too much for me to take in… That Sammy tried to make them kill me so he could blame my death on them… I… don't… think…"

In mid sentence, your head had a sudden zap of pain. You shivered and saw Bendy rush up to you. "H-Hey! Are you okay?! No! Don't pass out now! You can't!"

Sorry, Bendy. MY HEAD HURTS.

It didn't take long for you to realize that you had a concussion. Hooray… As if things couldn't get bad enough. While you sat in the blackness, you thought up ways to possibly get rid of Sammy Lawrence. He was the cause of this! Bendy said that the only way to get rid of him was to kill him. Well, you were only thinking it, right?

You were in the middle of a dream of watching Sammy die in the rain when you heard his voice. "Are you happy now?" was what it told you. At first, you thought it was all in your head, but then you got smacked in the face by reality. Literally. I wonder if you can guess who did it?!

"Wake up, sheep!"

Bingo.

Wincing, you swatted him away with your hand. He didn't leave. At least, you were back in your warm cozy bed. "What do you want old hermit?"

Ignoring you, he smacked you in the face again. "That's for not dying! My lord is madder than ever with me thanks to you!"

"Good! Go away! And stop hitting me or I'll command Bendy to tie you up outside in the rain!" you shouted.

"I'm sick of this… The game's over! You lose! You were never going to win anyway because I had the trump card from the beginning. I can't believe that everyone forgot about this! The very thing that'll end all of this…," he declared holding up the rifle to your head. All of the blood drained from your face as you went numb from fear.

"Y-You can't…? H-How can…?" you tried to ask something, but everything was sucked out of you when you realized that it wasn't going to matter anyway. It was the end.

"It was nice being your rival while it lasted. I'll be sure to tell Bendy that you still loved him when you're gone. It's the least I can do. Now, sayonara!" he yelled.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, the door swung open to reveal Boris at the door. His teeth were bared and his fur was on end. An evil glow was bright in his eyes as he snarled savagely at Sammy. He looked ready to tear him apart with his own two hands. Sammy's gaze darted for the door and he wished he took the shot while he had a chance.

Racing forward, Boris snatched the gun from Sammy's hands only to have it fall out of his as well. The rifle skidded across the floor to the other end of the room causing it to accidentally go off and shoot the wall. The loud bang rang in your ears as you saw Boris and Sammy rioting in the middle of the room. The music director kept looking back to his rifle as if waiting for the correct moment to slip away and grab it. Boris lunged forward making Sammy go crashing backwards onto his back. Before Boris could pin him down, Sammy side rolled out of the way and raced for the gun. Boris stumbled down onto the floor still growling savagely.

The gun was raised to the air, but it wasn't held by Sammy… but by Bendy. He raised the gun to meet Sammy's chest and the music director stopped. Boris stopped. You could only stare, completely numb inside. Bendy was now in charge.

"M-My lord! I think that you should probably… put that down or something… I wasn't doing anything! Boris just attacked me out of the blue! I was defending myself!" Sammy protested before anyone could say anything.

"No…," Bendy replied. He voice was deep and serious. Deeper and more distorted than you had ever heard it before except for when he stood before Joey about to kill him. The numb feeling left and was replaced with fear.

Boris slowly stood to his feet. The growling noise in his throat became more and more violent. "Shoot him, Bendy. I say it's justified enough."

Sammy laughed in Boris's face. "Hah! You?! Suggest for him to kill me?! The nicest wolf to ever be in a child's cartoon show… I doubt you actually mean it! Neither of you has the guts to kill me! Joey and I tore you up easily enough though, Boris…"

"Bendy killed Henry easily enough. He can do it again."

Your gaze turned back to Bendy. He looked unfazed by the situation. If anything he looked completely calm. This was almost scary considering that the rifle he was holding was almost as tall as he was.

"You're bluffing! You must be!" Sammy yelled desperately.

"How could you think that I-!"

"JUST STOP IT!" a voice shouted over everyone else's. You didn't say a word. Neither had Boris or Sammy. When you all looked over, you saw Bendy standing with the rifle in his hands, but his presence was more commanding than it had ever been.

"Bendy… He's a murderer… Why are you-?" Boris started. Bendy didn't let him finish.

"I'm not defending him. I'm punishing him accordingly. Technically, he hasn't shot anyone yet, so that doesn't mean that I should. But… He did hurt (y/n)... And I can't forgive that. So… here's what we're going to do…," Bendy explained. His voice was quiet but he sounded like a teacher holding himself back from wrangling a student.

Sammy blinked unsure of what to do. "Wh-What do you mean…?"

"You're coming with me!" Bendy hissed.

With that, the two of them left the room. Boris promptly followed. There you were, once again. Alone. You tried to imagine what they were going to do to him. The fact that you didn't know was enough to nearly drive you crazy. Was it evil or benign? Did it involve torture or murder? Were they even doing anything? Suddenly, you heard a past conversation between you and Bendy that fit this situation all too well.

"Also, I'm going to need this."

"What's that for…?"

"Oh… Nothing."

Doesn't that line sound familiar?


	16. Chapter 14 Black Eyes and White Lies

**Chapter 14 Black Eyes and White Lies**

She had opened the door not knowing what to expect. It was a dark place. Not the kind of joint she'd want to spend her day at. Her father had asked her to scope out the place after school, though. He paid her for doing this. That made it all worth it to a fourth grader.

Taking her first steps inside, she heard these strange noises. Her orange hair swished back and forth as she looked for where the sounds originated from. They sounded kind of like… talking? Were hobos living here or something?

"Bendy, why are you following me?" asked a female voice.

"Because I must protect you from Sammy! Surely, his evil schemes aren't over," the higher male voice replied. It sounded familiar.

A deeper male voice answered next. "What makes you think I'd hurt her after what you did to me?! I can barely even stand after how well you mangled your own servant, my lord!"

"I told you not to call me that!"

"Bendy, I'm fine. If anything, Sammy's too scared of me to even consider killing me again," said the female voice.

"But (y/n)! How could you not be the least bit concerned?!"

"Yeah, I might try stabbing you with that katana again. How can you trust me?" asked the deep male voice.

"Because you're trembling in fear and biting your fingernails."

"Oh."

The higher voice suddenly obtained a more foxy voice. "Well, if anything, it's more because of how much I want to be with you and to-"

 _Thwack!_

"OW! Sammy! Why'd you do that!?"

"That is an inappropriate use of physical contact! I had to stop you, Bendy!"

She heard giggling from the female voice as the two male voices began arguing with each other. The orange haired girl figured that they were all very weird and that this was pretty normal for them. They're hobos after all.

"Bendy, I respectfully request for you to not do this _right now_ ," the male voice said.

"Okay! Okay! Fine. I'll keep my hands to myself! For now…," he replied ominously.

"Oh, rats! I forgot the pen in the other room. I'll have to go get it."

"Well, yeah. Sammy, it'd be kind of hard to write a song without a pen!" the female voice replied.

"Hang on for a moment."

The orange haired girl heard footsteps come towards her. She jumped in fear realizing that she was going to be discovered. Desperately, she looked for a place to hide, but it was already too late. Sammy Lawrence stood in front of her.

At first, they just stared at each other in silence both trying to process what was before them. Then, the young girl started screaming at his horrifying image. She tried to flee for the door, but Sammy snatched her shirt collar preventing her from going anywhere.

"Let me go! Let me go you… MONSTER! Release me!" she cried.

You and Bendy race into the room to find her in Sammy's grasp. You couldn't tell what Sammy's expression was, but you could tell that Bendy was more than alarmed.

"Hold on a second, Sammy! What are you doing?!" you demanded. He looked over casually.

Shrugging his shoulders and tilting his head towards her he replied. "There was an intruder. I just captured them."

Bendy blinked unsure of what to say. He inspected her slowly. "Well, well, welly, well, well, welly… So a human has wandered into the studio… again. So, what should we do with you? Oh wait, I forgot. Introductions! I'm Bendy, the creep with the mask is Sammy, and this fine young lady over here is (y/n). What might your name be?" he asked trying to sound charming.

She blinked her dark black eyes at Bendy. Recognition flashed in her eyes and reluctantly she stabbed at the obvious truth. "You mean… THE Bendy? I've heard about you! I only ever saw a couple of clips from your show, but it was great! I liked the music. Very well thought out."

Sammy blushed at the comment and let go. "Sh-She likes my work! I am appreciated!"

He started rambling to himself about how he had believed that no one ever cared about what he did for so many years. The orange haired girl still looked confused but much less worried. It was easy for her to pick up that she had won Sammy's trust in a heartbeat. Bendy, on the other hand, was still waiting for a name, occupation, and motive.

"Oh cool. You know us. But what's your name?!" Bendy demanded.

"Hey, be nice. She's just a kid, Bendy!" you retorted.

Bendy huffed and rolled his eyes. "Not that you have to tell me or anything…"

The girl looked around curiously. She seemed a little disappointed. "Where's Boris and Alice? Aren't they here too?"

"Alice… Ah… She's a tragedy," Bendy replied solemnly.

You had no idea what he meant and paid attention to see if he would explain why, but instead, he just moved on like nothing had been said.

Bendy glanced around as if looking for Boris. "That wolf was supposed to be back here ages ago! Where could he be?!"

Last time we saw Boris: The Stone Age.

Suddenly, the door swung open and you heard rapid footsteps come down the hallway. Finally, Boris returned with his tail wagging rapidly and excitedly. "Hey Bendy! I found something cool!"

"Wow! I did too! Although, I doubt your cool thing isn't nearly as cool as my thing," Bendy boasted. Standing in front of the girl.

Boris crossed his arms and shook his head. "I can't show you yet."

"What?! Oh, come on! Spill the beans! We want to know!" Bendy whined.

"Nope." Boris didn't budge.

Sighing and giving up on it, Bendy straightened up. "Well, I still think my cool thing is better than yours. Ta-dah! A human!" Bendy announced.

Boris jumped back in alarm at the girl, but then he realized that she was only a kid. Slowly, he approached her. "Well, I'll be… What's your name, little lady?"

"Uh… Boris, I… My name is Lesla," she answered finally. Bendy seemed relieved to finally know at least that.

"That's pretty! And- What's with Sammy Lawrence over there? Is he… happy?" Boris asked confused. He had never seen Sammy that happy before. Or ever truly happy… The music director was hopping happily around the room.

"Oh, Lesla said she liked his music," you replied.

"Aw! Ain't that sweet!"

Bendy crossed his arms. "I still want to know what we're going to do with her! If we knew why she was here, maybe it'd be easier to tell what to do with her!"

Lesla then ignored Boris and went to Sammy. She hopped up to him and looked up at his mask. " Why do you wear that mask? It looks kind of creepy…"

Sammy touched the side of it and nodded. "Yeah… This thing is old. Trust me, you should be glad that I'm wearing it. I just look scary without it."

"Oh! So that's why!" she chirped. Nodding to herself, she seemed certain about something. "I think you're my favorite character in the show, Sammy!"

Sammy jumped blushing again. "Wha-?! I'm not even in the-!"

"Yes, you are! You made the music, therefore, you're in the show, Sammy Lawrence!" Lesla pointed out. She flicked his mask playfully and he straightened up.

"I think I should start liking you rather than Bendy. Because unlike him, you respect me!" Sammy announced.

Bendy stuck his tongue out at Sammy and brushed up against you like a cat. For once, Sammy didn't seem all that bugged by it. Then, Sammy realized what he was saying and returned to yandere Sammy mode. "YOU GET AWAY FROM HER! She's not nearly as great as me!"

Lesla jumped up and down nodding. "That's right! Sammy deserves more respect than all of you!"

"Why do you even like that guy…?" Boris asked starting to get annoyed.

"He writes music and is cool. Plus, he appreciates my appreciation. All of you are like, 'Oh, we're amazing and nobody could ever compare to all of us because we're above humanity' or something like that. Sammy is a lot more humble than all of you!" Lesla snapped violently.

Bendy blinked. He felt insulted. The more you thought about it, the truer it sounded. All except for the 'Sammy being humble' part. The ink demon looked to you as if expecting for you to back him up, but you couldn't think of anything. Bendy did think he was better than humanity.

Lesla grinned with satisfaction. She then turned to Sammy. "Wait, do you _like_ Bendy?"

Sammy stood taller with his head held high. "Of course I do!" he shouted loyally. He then realized that he was openly admitting he was gay. "Is… Is that a bad thing to you?"

Lesla shrugged. "Personally, I don't care. You're still amazing!"

Sammy remembered Bendy's previous question. "Actually, we still want to know. Why did you come here?"

Lesla thought about going into defensive mode but decided against it. "Um… My dad asked me to scout out the place! He's extremely rich and basically controls the entire town. He pays me to investigate places that look like they need to be torn down and replaced. He was pretty sure that there was nothing in here, but he sent me to check anyway. He was completely wrong about there being nothing here. We also got a report about people going missing in here. But hey, money is money," she replied.

"TORN DOWN?!" Bendy shouted in alarm.

"Yeah."

"Well…, I guess it makes sense because this is an abandoned animation studio, but this is also our home! As dumpy as it is…," he objected.

Lesla looked like an unimpressed cat waiting for you to give it its fish. Like she didn't care about what was really the problem there. She glanced towards the door. "So, uh… I kinda have to go. My parents might start worrying about me."

"Lucky you. My parents only worried about all the money I'd make them just walk out the door when I disappeared…," you grumbled under your breath.

Bendy shot between Lesla and the door. "NO! We can't let you leave, girlie! You're stuck here! We can't let you leave to tell your father to tear this place down!"

"You'll get out of the way. If you don't, my dad will send the police to come and get me in the next half hour. That's how protective he is," she answered.

"Once again, lucky you…," you grumbled.

Bendy growled at her as if saying that didn't matter. "I can't allow you. Not unless if you promise not to let him tear this place down."

"I can't guarantee anything. I can tell him that some people live in here, but he would simply ask who you were and simply try to transfer you somewhere else. However, when he sees you…, I doubt that he will be nearly that generous. I wouldn't be surprised if he just tried to get you all arrested. Except for Sammy because I won't let him!" Lesla said hugging Sammy. The music director grinned daintily.

"Sammy! Tell her to try harder to save us! If you care about us… If you care about **me** , you'll try to stop her!" Bendy begged.

Looking at Bendy's pleading eyes, he knew he couldn't say no. Sammy inhaled largely and shook his head at Lesla. "I'm afraid I can't let you get away with this. If my lord Bendy requires for me to stop you… then stop you I shall."

Lesla had a hurt expression if only for a minute. She then sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well, if you're determined to help your precious Bendy, then I'll see what I can do. Anything for you, Sammy! Now can I go home?"

Bendy stood there silently. Reluctantly, he stood away from the door. "Just get out." He turned his back coldly on Lesla and retreated back to the room you were in previously. You knew he was relieved to have her out of the studio.

After she left, Sammy looked back to where Bendy had left. "Bendy did not seem pleased with having her here. I suppose I should refrain from conversing with her for the time being."

"Yeah, you should. Boris, I need to see Bendy. I think he needs someone to talk this out with…," you said to the wolf. Boris nodded in agreement. And because you were still limping, he lifted you in his arms and away you went.

Sammy didn't move. He glanced back out the door. Was it really worth staying here? Nobody had ever respected him. Slowly, he reached for the door handle as if thinking there was something better for him outside the door. Was Bendy really worth that much to him? The one who mercilessly abused his feelings without consideration of how he may feel? No. He couldn't be. Sammy choked down the urge to turn back. "S-Sorry… my lord…" He opened the creaky door to a life-changing decision. One that would either be for the better… or for the worst…

Boris noticed that Bendy wasn't in the other room anymore and knew he'd have to navigate the entire studio before he could find him again. A good five minutes went by before he figured out where he'd be. The Orchestra Room! That was where the violin was put! Surely he'd be there either playing the violin or gazing up at the large projector and screen. "I know where he is."

"That's good. If you know where he is, then why are you just standing there?!" you demanded. Boris got the hint and ran on.

Down the stairs. Through hallways and screeching to a halt. You were just in front of the music department sign. A few ink puddles sat before it. You knew they were Searchers. So, you called out to them. "Hi, guys! It's me!"

The Searchers gingerly arose from their puddles and gazed up at you with surprise. "Yay! Master's love okay!"

"Yeah, Sammy's been taken care of for the time being. He's not dead, but he won't be trying anything too soon," you replied. You then remembered something and grew worried. "Is Colin okay?!"

The Searchers murmured something you couldn't understand. Finally, one spoke up. "Colin not feel good ever since Sammy chop him… He not okay…"

"Oh no… Will he recover?" Boris asked with worry and sympathy in his eyes. His tail sagged when the Searchers shrugged unsurely.

The black ink blob scuttled closer. It grabbed your hand and tugged lightly. "Colin later! Master need (y/n)! He not happy!"

Colin instantly leaving your head, his desperate voice seemed to snap your mind back to your mission. If you were able to stand, you would have instantly leaped from Boris's grasp to find Bendy yourself. "Is he okay?! What happened?!"

"He look really mad! Almost step on Rudy over there! You calm Master down maybe!" cried the Searcher dragging harder. A loud crash came from the Orchestra room. Boris raced towards the noise leaving the Searcher behind. It shouted something, but you couldn't hear it.

There he was. An ax in gripped tight his hand and the remains of the base drum in front of him. He lifted his gaze to meet yours. His face was ax fell from his hand to the wooden ground. It landed with a hollow thud that rang throughout the entire studio. The dust was stirred a little but fell back once again into its lifeless sleep.

Bendy smirked as if he were proud of what he did. However, his eyes were glaring making him seem almost evil. "I just can't figure out for the life of me why… Why this had to happen. I understand what that little girl was thinking. When she told us, 'I'll do what I can', she meant nothing by it. That's the long and the short of it. I've heard it too many times. I know the phrase like the back of my hand. "I'll do what I can" means I can't do more than what I do normally. So, why did I even bother to stand in her way? This place is going down and we'll all become outcasts anyway. Ain't that how it always goes?" he asked growling the last sentence.

"Bendy… It ain't that bad! We'll find some other place to go!" Boris countered.

The ink demon only laughed at his statement. It was the insane kind of laughter. The 'How can you think that?' laughter. "Boris… Boris… Boris… That's so like you. You're too predictable. I admire that, but it also gets on my nerves. There's nothing we can do. You won't help this out any. I don't want to be mean, but you don't know anything about the people out there. How they view _**me**_ specifically. Sure, you're a dog. They don't feel threatened by you. For some reason, when they see me, they want to lock me up! Even before I first went outside that door, they still suspected my show of being bad simply because I was a demon. Goes to show that humans don't change… Not really."

Boris was silent. He looked to you for help. Bendy rolled his eyes. "Why look to her for help? Afraid that you'll say something predictable again?"

You couldn't help but feel like Bendy was taking it too far. It was ticking you off listening to him ramble about how hopeless the situation was. You didn't allow him to trash talk anymore. "Bendy, why are you being such a jerk?" you asked firmly.

"What made you think I was nice, sweetheart?" he asked specifically to get on your nerves even more. He succeeded.

"Oh, shut up. This isn't helping anything and you know it! Is this your solution to everything?! Get mad about it and then throw a tantrum?! You have an odd habit of destroying things when you're mad! It's like you think it fixes the situation or something!" you snapped feeling an argument start up. Boris looked worried. He thought he should intervene, but decided against it.

The ink demon knew where this was going. He wasn't about to let you escape from what you decided to start. "Maybe it does! For one thing, it does make me feel like it solves the situation! If I kill someone, then they can't get in my way. If I destroy something, it won't be able to stop me!" he snapped.

 _Oh great. He's justifying the very things he hates about himself._

"Then why don't you just destroy the animation studio, huh?! Maybe it'll make you feel better about being a monster!" you shot back.

Bendy was silent. He glanced at Boris. "Hey Boris…, could you leave for a minute? I don't think this is a conversation you should get involved in…"

The wolf, still looking worried, completely obeyed. He wasn't about to get caught in the crossfires between you and Bendy. Once he had disappeared down the darkened hallway, you snapped your gaze back to the Bendy before you. It wasn't the real Bendy. Couldn't possibly be.

"I would've been nice… But then you had to go and trash talk your best friend right in front of him. You're lucky that Boris didn't just leave you and this place altogether because of that. If my best friend talked to me like that…," you began to threat. You cut off the final sentence to simply let him imagine what you'd do. He seemed to almost be _**enjoying**_ this…

Nodding, the ink demon took a few steps more in your direction. "Sorry, but I don't feel quite so friendly. Annoying people tend to show off my destructive side. Verbally, physically, and mentally. And I've had to put up with way too many of them. Sammy Lawrence, Lesla, Henry, Joey Drew, your parents, the police, and even you sometimes. You think I've been breezing through this?! You're terribly mistaken! I'm dying on the inside and you know it."

In your mind, you shivered at how ominous that sounded. On the outside, you refused to let it bother you. "That may be so, but you should've told someone that something was bugging you! I would've listened and Boris would've too. Heck, even Sammy! Do you have to go around and keep your secret grudges against humanity all to yourself?!"

"YES!"

"No, you don't! Your problem is our problem as you can clearly see right now! It's because of you that we're currently stuck in this argument right now. Your stupid insecurities are once again getting to you."

Bendy huffed with annoyance. Not so much about you but more about you being completely right. If you were right, he was left. The two of you were exact opposites. While opposites attract sometimes, they can repel each other just as easily. "Why are you even trying to get me to sort this out? Not like there's anything you can do. My "stupid insecurities" are my problem and not yours. So, you should just leave me alone."

His remark left you feeling strangely ambivalent. One part of you wanted to continue chewing him out for being both an idiot and a jerk. The other half of you wanted to help him out and sympathized with him. The debate left you unsure of what to tell him. But while his words were harsh and devoid of all hope, it was all just giant swirls of emotions shooting through his mind one after another. Anger, sadness, regret, guilt, loathing, annoyance, confusion, fear, and probably more than just that. Thinking about that made the debate in your mind finally start to settle and sympathy won over the anger. "But being alone isn't going to help."

"That sounds like something Henry would say," Bendy told you sitting onto the ground.

"Probably because he cared about people a lot more than most."

Bendy didn't say anything. He phased in and out of reality as he swapped constantly with what was happening and his memories. Remembering the ax on the ground, he picked it up and realized he was earlier swinging this like a maniac. Multiple times. Staring at the ax, he lifted it and chucked it across the room. It wasn't going to help him now. "I don't care what Henry cared about. He's gone. It doesn't matter what he did, what he said, or how he felt. All that mattered is that he once existed and now he doesn't. One less human for me to worry about!"

"There are more humans in the world than you can count, Bendy. You can't do anything about it. One less human for you to worry about just means six more humans to replace the one. You can't escape them."

"For Pete's sake, you had to remind me."

When nothing more was said by him, he stared off into space. He looked completely exhausted and you could hardly blame him for that. What does one do when going insane? He didn't do anything. That was what was driving him nuts. The idea of just standing aside and letting life run you over like a train just didn't seem to do him much good. He preferred to jump out of the way and then run for his life away from it. Maybe shoot at it a few times and keep running. Now, he was giving in to it. You either jump on the train or get flattened by it. And Bendy was standing on the tracks watching it approach in slow motion. Humans were preventing him from running.

The metaphor stood out to you in some way. If you knew the train was coming and that it was going to flatten you, you'd naturally be either afraid or depressed about it. Maybe both. But what if you didn't know that the train was coming? Would that be better than knowing? If you could somehow convince Bendy that everything was _**fine**_ would it be for the better or the worst?

"Maybe they won't come. I think Lesla will uphold her promise. I mean, as long as Sammy Lawrence is here, she will do whatever it takes to keep his home from being destroyed I'd imagine," you thought aloud.

Bendy shrugged snapping out of his bizarre between reality state. "I wouldn't bet my life on it. As stated before, she told us that she'd see what she could do. She might not be able to do much."

"But suppose that nothing happens! What'll we do then?" you asked somewhat desperate to take his mind off of the present.

"I dunno. I don't really care."

You huffed with annoyance. Anything! You could literally be talking about anything else right now, Bendy! But noooooo… You want to be all sad and depressed and angry with Boris and- BORIS! Maybe he has the answer! "Hey Bendy, what do you think that cool thing was that Boris found earlier?"

"Do you think I know? I know as much as you do? Why? Do you wanna know?" he asked finally breaking out of his protective shell of negativity.

"Yeah, it'll get your mind off of life for a little bit. I'm not concerned about me here, just so you know," you pointed out.

Sighing, he stood back to his feet. Reluctantly, he yanked you back up to your one good foot and helped you stabilize. Thank goodness there was a wall there, right?! Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a small ink puddle inch a little closer. A head popped out of the puddle and then vanished instantly. Now that you had gotten used to them, they were kind of adorable in a creepy kind of way.

"I think one of the Searchers is following us…," you pointed out as you signaled towards the ink puddle.

"Oh, him? That's Rudy. He's the small, cute one. Don't mistake him for Terrence. They're both small, but Terrence is loud and obnoxious," Bendy replied without even having to think about it. The way he could recognize them all astonished you. When did he have the time to identify and memorize all of them?!

"How many Searchers are there in this place?!" you demanded.

"Searchers? Quite a few. Not exactly a hundred, but more than twenty. If I had to make a rough estimate, I'd say about fifty altogether," Bendy replied.

50?! The number was a lot larger than you expected it to be. However, the place was a lot bigger than you expected as well. An underground Orchestra Room? How many places have that kind of space? "C-Can you name… all of them?" you asked wondering how well he did at names.

Bendy saw a challenge and his eyes lit up instantly. "Well, since you're desperate to know, I can certainly try! "There's, uh, Rudy, Colin, Terrence, George, Michael, Damon, Benjamin, Andy, Hanson, Marvin, Steven, Brandon, Evan, Tristen, William, Jude, Maxwell, Simon, Wilden, James, John, Timothy, Joel, Ashton, Markus, Aiden, Lucas, Tanner, Drake, Gannon, Randy, Roland, Rowen, Cyrus, Brycen, Colby, Derrick, Peter, Jaylen, Alex, Alber-"

"OKAY! THAT'S ENOUGH!"

"Aw… I had only eleven and a half more to go!" Bendy replied in a whiny voice.

"Tell me later when I'm not thinking about it maybe," you replied a little annoyed.

Somewhat relieved at least that he wasn't feeling completely depressed anymore, you thought about where Boris would be. He'd definitely be upstairs. He told you about how much he disliked being in the cold, dark basement. The only reason he was here now was because of a friend of his who wasn't having such a good day. A small, black hand then embraced your leg tightly. Looking down, you saw Rudy. It didn't look like the other Searchers. Unlike them, it was adorable. It had these cute black eyes and it looked like a black, half-melted snowman. Only it was ink.

Big black cartoon-like eyes looked up at you looking as if he wanted you to give him attention.

Bendy stared at the non-dangerous looking Searcher as if he were still pondering how an ink blob could be so cute. "Huh. I forgot how chibi-like he was."

HOW DO YOU FORGET SOMETHING SO CHIBI-LIKE BENDY?! JUST HOW?

You lifted up the tiny blob and it blinked. In a high-pitched child voice, it greeted you. "H-Hi! I be Rudy!" it chirped.

"Um… hello. I'm (y/n). You already know who Bendy is. Although I've heard you can't say his name," you replied glancing at Bendy.

Bendy seemed confused. "I never told them to call me Master. I think Sammy told them to call me that… I wouldn't be surprised."

"Nuuuu! Bendy scary! He stepped on me!" Rudy cried crawling up your arm and hiding on your shoulder. He felt cold, so he started shivering. "Bendy give me chills…"

Not feeling like apologizing, Bendy turned his back on it. "Well, excuse me for being an ink demon! I've probably stepped on all of the Searchers at some point! Just ask Aiden! I step on him almost every day!"

"Aiden always complains about that behind your back. He say 'Oh, Bendy step on my head again! One day when he not looking, I step on _**his**_ head!" the little ink blob replied mocking Aiden.

You snickered at its acting ability and Bendy groaned. "I've known all along his complaints about it! Believe me, I'll never ever ever let him step on my head! Do you wanna know why? Because he doesn't have any feet!"

Changing the subject was highest on your to-do list, so you got right on it. Sadly, it still paid you minimum wage for doing so. Nothing. "Uh…, Rudy… We kind of have to go upstairs. Why don't you stay here with all of your other inky friends?"

The ink blob shook its head no and clung even tighter. "No! Me not like them… They all make fun of me! Say I not even do my job… Me not want to hurt people! Me not like Sammy either… He always scorns me for being small and too cute. But you not mean to me! I stay right here!" it sang gleefully. It sat unmoving on your shoulder's.

Bendy, now looking somewhat ticked off, looked about to flick the little guy off. "Do you know what I am?" he asked trying to show authority in his voice.

"Uh… Really short?" it asked eyeing him up and down.

Annoyance went to insulted. He now felt what Sammy Lawrence felt from him every day. Insulted. "NO! I'm your "Master"! I am an ink demon! I am Bendy whose name you're not supposed to say!" he snapped at the little ink blob.

Gazing at him a little harder, he seemed unimpressed. "You don't look nearly as scary as the other Searchers say you are. Sure you step on my head, but besides that, not scary at all. Terrence always tells me about all of the people you've murdered and terrorized! I always thought of this giant ink monster that would chase you until finally getting its hands on you and killing you instantly in a fit of blind rage! However…, you don't look anything like that…," Rudy replied narrowing his eyes at Bendy.

Clearly trying not to strangle the ink drop, Bendy cried on the inside. On the outside, he felt depressed again and gave up on life. "I'm going to go find that ax and maybe kill myself maybe…"

"NO! You will not do that! Rudy, apologize to him this instant!" you shouted at the ink blob.

It stared back at you confused. "Why? Should I really care? Do you really care? He's not much of a monster if you ask me. I was just disappointed that he's not the hero I was expecting him to be."

"DO IT NOW! Or I'll strangle you myself…," you threatened it. Satisfaction washed over you when it shrunk back and squeaked with fear.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be rude! It's just in my name! I don't actually want to be rude! Forgive me, Ben- er- Master!" it cried like a little kid. He looked back at you as if to see if the evil look on your face was gone.

Bendy didn't reply. He knew how the thing really felt. "Whatever… Where did I throw my ax?"

Not putting up with any more of that, you snatched Bendy and glared at Rudy. He squeaked again and retreated back into its puddle. Suddenly, it realized that Bendy wasn't the scary hero it was looking for… but you were! It's cartoon eyes sparkled with admiration. "Terrence gotta know about this!"

"Bendy! You're not gonna die! Not so long as I've got a decision in this!" you snapped trying to get him out of his funk.

"I don't care what you say! Because in reality, nothing can help me now!" he snapped.

Wondering what to do, you began to inquire what actually would help anything. Suddenly, you smirked as if you figured out the key to fixing everything. "Oh really? You wanna bet?"

"Why are you smiling at me like that…? Should I be scared? What do you mean by betting anything?!" he asked.

"That's right, you wanna die… I forgot. So then, why do you think you should be worried about anything? Besides…, I thought that your curiosity would be greater than your fear. Am I right?" you questioned wondering if you were taking the act a little far.

"I didn't actually _**plan**_ on doing it and I-"

"Oh, so you're a liar now. That's fine! It all just means better for me," you told him with a plotting voice. You couldn't help but love the expression on his face.

 **Bendy's POV**

 _I regret everything! I regret everything! I regret everything!_

This was what I was thinking that very second. I could feel my heart race faster than a herd of wild horses running a marathon. Whatever she wanted to do to me, though, I welcomed. I wasn't sure why I felt so, but even though we did fight only a few minutes before, I could still feel this deep desire for her. Maybe even more powerful than just a desire. I never really wanted to die, but pretending like I did made me feel better. I knew she wasn't going to kill me. It was easy to see she was after something clearly different. Whether she was after it for my sake or just for her entertainment, I didn't quite have a clue. Probably both. But standing there right then feeling my heart thump louder than a bass drum, made me come to a conclusion. I lusted after her like my life depended on it. I couldn't tell if I hated the feeling… or craved it.

"Wh-Why are… you…," I started, but she placed her finger over my mouth, shushing me. Eyes gazing into mine, she shook her head slowly. I couldn't make it stop. The feeling only grew stronger and the butterflies in my stomach bounced around as if they were fireworks ready to explode. I knew she could see the blush in my cheeks because she only came closer to me. Intentionally and knowingly. I couldn't move nor speak.

"I know what you want… I can give it to you…," she whispered to me. I knew she was acting. She had to be. This was like her at all… was it? I found myself doubting my every past move and thought. Was I simply oblivious the whole time? But then again, I'm not giving myself enough credit. I pay a lot more attention than one might expect.

A heartbeat later, I found my lips barely an inch away from hers. I thought to myself, 'I can still draw back. I can say that it's not a problem for me anymore. However, it wasn't nearly enough to just get this close to what I want to only slam the door in my own face. And she was simply giving it to me. Bodies pressed together, fingers intertwined, gazing intently into each other's eyes. I wondered if she could see what I was thinking. How ambivalent I felt about this. One side not wanting the awkward moment to stretch out so long and the other begging for it to last forever. I wondered if she could feel my heartbeat racing within my chest.

It's not my heart.

I shoved the thought from my mind. That wasn't important. She seemed to realize that my emotions took a drastic swing because she froze and got this look of sympathy. "What's the matter?"

"Everything…," I whispered.

She squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Well, whatever it was that had crossed your mind, it doesn't matter anymore."

"It still hurts, though. Not much can be done about that. I expect that the only remedy for that is time and I don't really think I have a lot of that at the moment…"

"Well, time is money and you're spending that time with me. Isn't that what you wanted to spend it on?" she asked.

 _If that's what you wonder… Then the truth must be what you ponder._

"Yeah."

 _I wanted none more… Is this boat leaving shore?_

 _Or are we weighing anchor? Taking a moment more_

 _To remember we're all on this little boat together?_

 _Hm… I have to wonder._

I find it funny. Joey made me to love all and to be loved by all. However, I love one and am loved by almost none. There are three who love me. One I wish who didn't and one completely platonic. But one… rises above the masses. I've figured it out, Joey. I'm not a cartoon anymore like you said I was. Unlike them, I could care less about making others happy. I could care less about whether if I entertain them or not. I care about only two others in this world. That's what makes me different. I can't love everyone. That's why I've concluded that… I'm a living person now.

Somehow admitting it to myself made me realize that I really didn't have to stay in that studio. I didn't have to do anything I didn't want to. I wasn't a legal-thing to anyone anymore. I am a legal-person. And I love (y/n).

A moment's hesitation and we gave in. Our lips met and possibly our tongues as well. I wasn't paying attention. I could only feel a warm satisfaction and the overwhelming desire to love her. Forget the fight. Forget life. Forget the ax. Heck, even forget Boris. I can be without all of that. This is what I lived all of this time for. This feeling was what I've been craving all of this time.

And I loved it all more than those swag bowties.


	17. Chapter 15 The Drum Major Never Lies!

"So, where's this "cool thing" you spoke of, Boris?" Bendy asked looking ahead down the road. The sun was going down which was really Boris's cue to show them what it was.

"You'll know when we get there!" the wolf chirped.

They sky was a bright orangish-pink and the tree leaves rustled in the wind. There were suspiciously few people out and about on a day like this. That was when you remembered that everyone was probably out at the mall because of the evening sales that happen every Wednesday. It was hard to keep track of the days in the animation studio. If Sammy hadn't said anything earlier, you would've assumed it was Friday.

"Can't I hop up there with you?!" Bendy whined from the ground. Once again he was walking with Boris carrying you. It both annoyed him and filled him with jealousy. Well, you can't have it all.

Boris shook his head no at Bendy. "Sorry, but my shoulders are still tuckered out from carrying you to that lake the other day. I need a break too, you know."

The ink demon sighed to himself but continued without another complaint. Looking ahead, he saw a tall and wide structure. It was obviously a building with an enormous parking lot. Was this what Boris wanted them all to see? Upon closer inspection, you recognized the building. With dread. "M-My high school?!"

"Yep. But it's not like we're going inside. School's out for the day. Everyone's probably off doing homework or some after school activity. We should be the only ones out here," Boris replied strolling into the parking lot. He knew you probably didn't want to be there.

At first glance, you wondered why he had brought you there. However, with another step forward you saw a silver tower stretching for the sky. A winding staircase slowly made its way up to the top. Numbers that would be on a football field were written in the parking lot. It then occurred to you that this was the practice marching band parking lot. The one that would have marching band and color guard students marching on it around the clock in the fall and summer. It was spring now so it wouldn't be long before more marching band practices started being held. Boris made his way to the door of the tower. The band tower.

"Whoa… What's this for?" Bendy asked staring up at the tall tower in wonder.

You looked up at it trying to remember what it was for. "It's the band tower. The director stands at the top of that tower to help supervise the marching students while their marching. You know, to help out with fixing and cleaning their form and stuff like that. It's easier to monitor that stuff from high up where you can see everyone," you explained.

"Wow. That's cool. But who helps out with the time? Surely there's got to be more than a ticking metronome keeping people in sync," Bendy inquired hoping you'd have an answer.

"There are people called drum majors who direct the entire marching band and color guard by moving their hands in time with the metronome."

"But what if they don't do it at the correct speed? Then they'd be lying to everyone!" Bendy exclaimed.

"DRUM MAJORS NEVER LIE! Just because they don't! If they lie, everything's wrong, so they're always right. Even if they're wrong, if everyone follows them, then they're right," you told him feeling like you were making a way too big of a deal over a varsity activity that you didn't get involved in (unless if you actually do).

The door to the band tower was locked. Bendy half-heartedly kicked the door with his foot. It sounded like he kicked a metal fence and the clanging noise rang on for a good twenty seconds. "It's not opening. What are we gonna do? Climb it?"

"Maybe," Boris said.

"Are you Spider Man or something because I don't think I'd trust you climbing up that thing unless if you were," you told him seriously.

Boris laughed at the comment. "No, I'm not Spider Man. However, I am extremely handy in pick pocketing," he replied plucking a key from his pocket. "Ta-dah!"

"Wow! When did you have the time to do that?" Bendy inquired as he marveled at Boris's amazing pick pocketing skills. You'd think it'd be Bendy who would be doing all of that stuff, right?

The wolf shrugged as if he wanted to keep his ways a secret. "There are many mysteries of Boris the Great…"

"Well, what are we waiting for?! I wanna see the view!" you told Boris excitedly. The top of the band tower was a view envied by everyone who wasn't in the marching band. Why not the marching band? Because they had already seen it. I've been to the top of my school's band tower and it was AWESOME!

Once the door was unlocked, you all made your pursuit up the band tower. Stair after stair and step after step. Higher and higher stretching up to the sky. A cheerful cold breeze bustled on by after playfully ruffling your hair. A butterfly flew towards the side rail only to reconsider and find a nearby tree to make its perch. Finally, you reached the top and the world swerved away from you as sudden vertigo came crashing down on you making everything spin. However, when Boris put you down, a good long moment of gripping the side rail helped you to recover and you were fine. The view really was astronomical. Even though, it was just a parking lot with the markings of a football field. A distant look in Bendy's eyes brought your attention back to him. Was it distance… or amazement? It was still hard to identify those little glints of emotion he gets sometimes.

"Wow… I can see all the way to the ocean it feels like!" Bendy announced.

You had to nod with agreement. Even though, you couldn't see the ocean… "It's pretty for a parking lot. But… it is pretty chilly up here…," you answered suppressing a shiver.

Boris looked towards the ground and you saw something falling down onto the blacktop. It clanked. "Oh-no! I dropped my keys! I had better go get them!" he shouted suspiciously. Instantly he ran back down the winding stairway.

Wondering why he'd simply announce that he'd dropped his keys in front of everyone seemed a little odd. Surely he wouldn't try to be that conspicuous… As soon as he was gone, there was an awkward pause between you and Bendy. Earlier events still hung in your mind and you were sure he was thinking about it. A first kiss was a little hard to forget…

"Uh… pretty sunset isn't it?" you asked.

"Yeah… Sure."

…

Gee, I wonder if Bendy's good at small talk? Hah!

"Do you think Colin's going to be okay? Last time I asked, he wasn't doing so good…," you pointed out trying again at breaking the silence.

"Colin? Oh, he'll be fine! He's awfully resilient. Heck, all of the Searchers are. You whack them with an axe and then they come back. It's kind of annoying after a while. I mean, you just want them to go away, but no matter how many anvils you drop on their heads, they all come back!" Bendy replied. Okay, maybe he is pretty good at small talk after all.

You tried to imagine Bendy dropping an anvil on their heads and then they just come back and still call him "Master". It was easy to see why he might try to step on them on purpose now.

"So…, do you really think Boris dropped those keys on accident?"

"No. That wouldn't be like him. I know him too well," Bendy answered staring down at Boris who only just then picked up his keys. He was taking his sweet time. It took him five minutes just to get down there! It would take him ten to come back!

Since Boris wasn't going to come back in a while, silence became the dominant topic. Much like other awkward silences, an unsettling feeling rippled between you and Bendy. Why was this so common for you? To not know what to say?

"Wonder how Boris found this place. I can't believe that he left the studio without us to come here," he thought aloud.

"Maybe he was just bored," you suggested.

"Nah. Probably did this more because of me. He never really considers himself. His character is to only do something if it involves me. You too, I'm guessing. He never lashed out at Sammy Lawrence like he did yesterday. To be honest, he almost scared me more than Sammy! I was expecting Sammy to do that, but Boris is usually such a nice guy. I never would've thought that he would openly attack him! Boy was I wrong, wrong, wrong. All that blather earlier about him being predictable, in reality, was a lie," Bendy admitted shaking his head at himself. "Insanity doesn't let you think! You say things you never usually would."

"I kinda figured that… But of all the places I had to come back to… I was a senior about to graduate here when I first went to your animation studio. All those years of school for nothing I guess. The problem with this school is that they praise the students who get good grades a little too much. I was one of the smartest people in the school." You looked up at the school remembering all of the different classes you took. Sure, you had Joey's intelligence, but you hated that. "During my extra time, I'd pour through books. They admired that. I'd do all of my homework. They admired that. I made grades so good that my A-streak shined like a rainbow! But when they told my parents… all of that praise went straight to their heads. That was when they decided that with a brain like mine, they could take my money to become rich. They said my knowledge was the door to a better life for all of us," you explained. The negative memory nagged at you and annoyed you like there was no tomorrow.

"For them," Bendy correct.

"For them…," you repeated feeling like such a tool.

"Look on the bright side, you don't have to see them again!" Bendy chirped trying to cheer you up. The sudden depressed feeling didn't ebb much.

Realizing he wasn't doing anything, he hopped over the rail of the band tower. You would have been worried, but you also remembered a very critical fact. He was Bendy. If he jumped off of the Willis Tower, he'd be fine. This was nothing.

"Boris!" you heard him shout when he crashed down onto the ground… on his face. He straightened his bowtie professionally as if he didn't just land on his head.

"You forget to pack a parachute?" he asked in return.

"Yeah… yeah… Now pay attention-" That was when they began whispering to each other and you couldn't hear them anymore. What were they plotting now?

Boris nodded and came running back up the tower. Bendy, on the other hand, darted for the school. Once up to the top, Boris greeted you. "Howdy! Got my keys!"

"Took ya long enough…," you mumbled under your breath.

"Bendy's going to be right back. I just happened to set something up in advance. He told me you weren't feeling too good… Something wrong?" Boris asked you with sympathy in his voice.

You wondered if you should tell him you caught a case of the bad memory bug, but that wouldn't much help the situation because then you'd be thinking about it. Rather than answering, you rested your head on the side rail. It was still cold and you shivered unable to keep yourself from not.

"I know you don't wanna be back at your school. Believe me, I figured you'd feel something like this when we came here. Don't worry! We'll be leaving soon! I just have one little surprise for you!" he told you reassuringly.

A loud blast could be heard from behind the school. It was so loud that you jumped. Gunshot?! Nope. It launched into the air and exploded into a giant ball of color! It was a firework! Although, there was more than just a firework that shot into the sky.

"AAAAAAHHHH! How did I even get onto this thing?!" demanded Bendy who had somehow gotten attached to the rocket. Once it exploded, he free-fell downward. He wasn't screaming when that happened. Curiously though, the only thing that went through his mind was Oh no, not again. Many people have speculated that if we knew exactly why Bendy had thought that, we would know a lot more about the nature of the universe than we do now.

Lol. The quotes!

Once again, Bendy came hurtling back towards Earth. Only this time, he landed on Boris! That's a nice change of pace, isn't it? Come to think of it, not really because it was still a crash landing… Anyway, both of them toppled over to the ground and ended up piled on top of each other on the ground. Boris forced a laugh and Bendy looked like he had just been blown up.

"Okay… THIS time I forgot the parachute…," Bendy snapped.

You felt your depression instantly vanish at the ridiculous situation. Bendy got blown up and Boris became a landing pad! A smile crossed your face and you desperately tried to laugh. "How did you even get stuck on that rocket? The thing wasn't even that big!" you told him.

"My shoelace got caught!" Bendy protested.

"Your shoes don't have shoelaces, Bendy!" you told him.

"Yes, they do! Well, they did… The rocket blew them off. They're probably swirling up in orbit somewhere," he replied looking up to the sky.

Meanwhile in space…

(Insert random shoelace here)

BACK ON EARTH!

"Huh…," was all you could say as you stared up at the clouds. The rocket didn't fly that high for sure. However, you don't argue with Bendy's logic. You know, unless if he says something like Sammy Lawrence is the hottest guy on Earth or something. That would introduce quite the problem, wouldn't it?

Boris was able to stand on his feet after Bendy finally hopped off. The three of you got a final look at the stunning view. Of course, all good things must end. That was the cue for all of you to leave and retreat somewhere else. And that was when Boris suggested getting a pizza! How could you say no? But that wasn't nearly the most interesting event happening in town…

Far away, a certain man hid in the shadows. Poking his head out from behind a tree, he spotted the number hanging above the door of a huge house. There was a doorbell under it resting just next to the door. It was tempting to go ring the doorbell, but he didn't want to person to answer to not be Lesla. If her mom or dad were to answer, bad things would probably happen to him. Reluctantly, he just decided to play stalker. Sneakily, he snuck to the other side of the house.

Only one of the windows to the house was open. It was the one to the kitchen. That didn't help him at all. He thought of giving up when the window on the second floor opened. Lesla had opened the window in her room. Sammy nearly gasped in astonishment at his luck. Since when did he ever have anything go his way. He plucked a pebble from the ground and chucked it inside the window. At first, there was no response…, but then…

"Huh? Where'd that rock come from? How could it have come from outside? Is it raining rocks or something?" Lesla's voice inquired. She walked up to her window and looked out. Surprise and delight lit up her face when she saw Sammy. "SAMMY!"

"Lesla! I need to talk to you about something!" Sammy shouted to her.

Nodding, she backed away from the window. "I'll be right there!" She then disappeared into the depths of her room. Moments after, she came running around the corner of the house. "I can't believe you're here! Why'd you leave the studio?" she asked him skidding to a halt in front of Sammy.

"Uh… Various reasons. Listen, you remember Bendy, correct? The short guy with horns?" Sammy asked her.

"Uh-huh!" Lesla chirped coming up onto her tip-toes and back down when she answered.

The music director looked left and then right as if he were afraid that someone was watching him. He would never under almost any circumstance do this. This was the only exception. "The animation studio… I've secretly been longing to leave that place for a long time. The only reason I worshipped and loved Bendy the way I did was because of a promise he made to me. I understand that he hasn't enjoyed my clingy nature to him, but I had to make sure that he remembered what he promised. However, ever since that girl came, he's been completely distracted from me! It's clear now that he won't change me back, so I… kind of want to get back at him for it."

Lesla's eyes stretched wide and curiosity buzzed in her mind. "What do you mean? What are you going to do?"

"I want your father to get rid of the animation studio."

"What? I thought you were completely against that!" she exclaimed. There were no limits to her surprise.

Sammy clenched his fists with a betrayed emotion burning in him. "I don't want to live like this anymore… He told me he'd fix it! Goes to show that some people who say they are your friends really don't care about you at all…," he growled.

A knot twisted in the pit of his stomach. There was still a part of him that believed that Bendy cared about him just a little. It asked him why. Why would he go against him? When he began to doubt his decision, he cracked down harder on himself. No. He couldn't back down now. The creator never lied to anyone. Now, it was the creation who was lying to the creator.

"Are you sure? Where are you going to go once the place is gone?" Lesla asked with worry.

"I don't know. And I don't care anymore."

"...Well…, maybe there is something I can do!"

Something she can do? Lesla had no idea how much she had influenced his mind over the entire day of knowing her. She showed more appreciation for him than anyone ever had. If she cared about him more than Bendy did, then maybe his life wouldn't be nearly so pointless anymore.

 _It's over, Bendy._

 _This is my last song to thee._

 _I don't care what you tell me anymore._

 _Because now I'm coming to settle the score._

 _You'll feel the pain which you gave me._

 _I'll send you lies about your happy life unending._

 _I don't care what you say anymore._

 _It's over._

 _It's over._

" **And you will regret everything."**


	18. Chapter 16 Fallen Angel

**Chapter 16 Fallen Angel**

Once there was an angelic being who simply appeared one day. She had horns, one of those dresses that make the men all crazy, long black hair, high heels, and a halo. It never occurred to me that she was an angel with devil horns. I suppose that it was rather ironic. People would have expected us to be bitter rivals. Well, I wanted to be bitter rivals, but apparently, that was out of the question. She wanted something a whole lot different. That's why I shouldn't have let her too close. Perhaps, I could have talked Joey out of it. Talked Joey out of making her in the first place. It might have been more her fault that my past memories are all very dull and vague. The ones I do remember are rather horrific or, at least, very irritating. Why do I hold a grudge against this angel? Because she was meant to be my in-show love interest.

- **Flashback-**

"Honestly, Bendy darling, why do you have to be so distant? I thought that you loved meeting new people! Joey told me that you'd always complain about there being a lack of new characters in your show! I'd think you'd be more grateful for my appearance!" her sharp, yet soothing tongue told me.

Her tricks to try to get me to notice her in the way she was thinking never really worked. I could act and play the part of the potential lover, but I never really felt anything for her. Those good-looks never got so much as even a thought of how pretty she was from me. Because she wasn't. I knew she was secretly a monster.

"Get off my back, Alice. I act. That's my job. You're just a side character in this whole thing," I replied without any hesitation. I speak my mind most of the time. I couldn't stand her. An angel trying to appeal to a demon? Coming to think of it now, it seems rather hypocritical.

"Awwww… You don't seem to understand how my popularity is overtaking yours by a long-shot. People listen to me sing and dance! People listen to me and love me! The only way for you to get any more popular than you already are and possibly get back to your number one spot is to marry me!" she told me one day.

What?

 **What?**

 _ **WHAT**_ **?**

What could that possibly mean?! Is she implying something?! Had Joey told her something that I didn't know about yet? That did happen a lot. He knew I hated her. Whenever they had planned a romance scene or episode, they rarely ever tell me about it. Probably because I throw things at them if they do. Last time he told me, I lobbed a dictionary at Joey's face. I performed for one person. And it wasn't Alice.

"Oh, that's nice to know. I'm betrothed to someone I don't even like. Isn't that nice?" I asked secretly burning in my own skin. I hated Joey. I hated him for making her. I hated him for doing this to me. I hated him because he knew I really liked his granddaughter.

"I know! It's great, right?" She saw my unimpressed face and realized that I was being sarcastic and not enthusiastic about my job. "Look, Bendy. I love you. And it's your job to love me. So far, the romance and dancing is the only thing keeping this show alive at this point. People don't care about the characters. People don't care about our hardships. So, Joey told me that we have to become a couple! That's the way things are!" she told me.

What are they trying to do? Brainwash me into believing that there was nothing else to do but follow orders?! ME?! Hardly. I stood to my feet with annoyance. She didn't have to keep reminding me of my steady decline in popularity. To be honest, I don't think it's because of Alice. I'm pretty sure it's because of that rival company who also does cartoons. Some dumb mouse I think. Hah. Well, maybe if they succeed, I'll finally be able to stop playing the in love (but not really in love) cartoon devil. That would certainly be quite a relief actually.

But then… I wouldn't be able to perform for her anymore.

Boris always just tells me to stick it out to the bitter end whether if I like it or not. I don't like it, but I don't want her to go away. That gleam in her eyes is enough to keep me putting up with this woman who's trying to make me believe that there's no way out of this. Heh. Well, I was sure that there was a way to get rid of the cartoon angel. I just haven't thought of it yet.

- **Flash forward-**

"Sammy, can you write us some music for the episode, please?! We're running behind on the schedule!" I heard Joey yell at the music director back when he was a music director.

The tall dark-haired man glared at Joey. "What makes you think I want to write a song for this?! You know how much I dislike this couple. Bendy and Alice just aren't my thing, okay?" he retorted bitterly.

"You will do it, Sammy. If you don't, I won't give you your month's worth of pay."

…

Sammy gave in and snatched the script from Joey. "Fine… I'll see what I can do…"

 **A time after this incident…**

I could see Sammy sitting at his desk gnashing his teeth together at the sappy words he was writing. I could hear his grumbles from the cardboard cutout I was hiding in at the time. "He'd never say this… I just can't see it… I just don't want to see it!" he snapped at the paper.

It was probably the only time in my life that I had ever actually felt bad for him. I'd be screaming the same things if I had to write a stupid song about my not-girlfriend. At this point in time, he wasn't nearly that bad. Just a little weird and really grouchy. I liked him the best when he hated me the most.

"Why does my life have to consist of this? Joey should just shut down this place. I swear…," Sammy grumbled.

Alice: _I see the demons of the past fly by._

 _It makes me wonder about you._

 _Why oh why_

 _Does it have to be you?_

Bendy: _I know you're from the stars, fallen angel_

 _But still, I see someone who_

 _Smiles at me._

 _Did it have to be you?_

Both: _And now I see the limelight_

 _With a completely different view._

 _And now I see the starlight_

 _Shining down on you._

 _For the last light of the world_

 _Will never ever die._

 _And…_

(romantic music stops)

 _Sammy: ALICE ANGEL NEEDS TO DIIIIIIIIIIE!_

Me too, Sammy. Me too. I'm pretty sure my life would've turned out better if I hadn't heard that song, though. The main issue that I have with this is that everyone who watches it is going to love it. Except (y/n)...

Each time there's an Alice x Bendy episode, her usual hopefulness simply dies instantly and she looks extremely irritated. If not irritated, she gets this somewhat tired look. It bugs me. It bugs Boris. Sometimes it even bugged Henry. It **never** bugged Alice. Maybe I'd like her more if she actually showed that she had a heart. Whenever Alice walked onto the set, it was almost like (y/n)'s mind would click off and she simply wouldn't care anymore.

I didn't want that.

But, would you be surprised if I told you that I wasn't the one who killed Alice? Well, I wasn't. It was Sammy who originally did it. He was the one who planted my second worst fear in my head. The first fear is an unprepared confrontation with a love interest. Sammy was the first to figure out how to do it. He discovered how to kill a toon.

It was in the projector room on a certain Tuesday. Joey was trying to get me to do an entire Alice x Bendy episode from memory. It was called 'Torrents of Love' or something dumb like that. I didn't know the title was going to be a coincidence. Apparently, Sammy was running entirely on coffee the entire day. He had a large mug in his hand with my face on it and he looked exhausted. Another all-nighter writing music. When you don't get sleep, you learn to hate your job really fast. He was slumped over in a chair right next to the projector with his coffee raised to his lips.

Joey was about to give us the go to start, but that was when it happened. Sammy yawned. He stretched back and accidentally dropped the mug on the projector and knocked it over. Frantic, Joey sprang to save it, but it was too late. I had no idea what had happened. The first thing I saw was Joey about to tell me to start and then I was doing barrel rolls in the projector! The coffee mug smashed onto the ground into a million pieces and the black liquid lapped at our feet. Alice looked to me hoping I'd have an answer, but I didn't know what to do. The world around our feet became soggy and wet when I noticed it happen. My arm was melting.

The moments after were a blur. I could hear Joey screaming and the hot coffee spreading around us. Alice was trying not to look as scared as I was. How could you blame me?! My arm was melting! I was up against the projector wall having a panic attack. The world sort of swirled together in an ocean of coffee and ink. I was supposed to be the one who got turned into a melted blob of sticky blackness. But no. I was miraculously spared. It was Alice who got the worst fate a toon could ever ask for. Hence, why she is a tragedy.

"Bendy…? What's… happening?!" she squeaked in terror. I barely noticed over my own freaking out, but soon I was more terrified of her. Her entire body began to slowly distort itself and her face was slowly shifting. Ink flooded her eyes and ran down her cheeks making her look like she had used too much mascara and had cried for fifteen hours. Her halo fell into the ink-stained coffee and I couldn't even recognize it was Alice anymore. I shivered and felt tears of fear well up into my eyes. It was horrifying. I was watching her slowly melt right in front of me.

"JOEY! SAVE ME! Henry! Sammy! Boris! I don't care who! Just get me out of here!" I screamed frantically as I shoved myself closer to the corner of the wall.

The ink creature that was once Alice lunged at me as if making a final attempt to do something to save itself. It narrowly missed crashing into me and splattered onto the wall. Everything in me lurched viciously at the sight. I felt nauseous. What was only moments felt like hours. The ink splotch on the side of the inside of the projector slowly oozed off of the wall and rested with the blackness still threatening to kill me with the same dire fate.

Henry lifted up the projector and gave the thing a good shake. Coffee and ink sloshed out. My heart really felt like it was going to explode. I clung to that wall like it was my life. I couldn't leave the projector unless if they put a cardboard cutout of me into the room for me to inhabit. I was alive and that was all that mattered. I guess the same statement couldn't be made for Alice… She was gone.

"What the heck happened? Did something happen that I didn't know about?" Sammy growled at Joey who was shaking in terror at what could have happened. The dark-haired, sleep deprived music director actually didn't know I was alive at the time and assumed nothing had happened. Henry also didn't know about Joey's plans for me. Neither of them knew. Makes me wonder if it would have been better if Joey had told them about me.

Joey stared at Sammy like he was an idiot. His face swelled red with anger at Sammy. While the music director pondered his mistake, Henry peeked into the projector. His mind was then blown. "J-Joey…? W-What is this?!" he demanded.

He saw me. Shaking with horror on the reel in the projector. My arm half melted and terror written on my face. Henry's blonde hair swished with energy and his ink-stained vest slowly rose up and down from his now heavy breaths. Well, Joey, the cat's out of the bag.

Henry immediately dropped the projector on the ground and shook his head thinking it was all an illusion. Joey dove to pick it up and due to falling on the ground again, I was face flat on the bottom of the image on the reel. "Bendy?!" Joey cried.

"Y-Yeah?" I squeaked.

"Oh, thank goodness you are okay! Where's Alice?" he asked seeming a little more relieved. It was only for a mere moment.

I slowly explained what had happened to her. Joey's face became grim, but for some reason, he didn't seem all too sad about it. He nodded to himself. "Well, if that's the case, then I guess we'll just have to redraw her…"

"Do you have to…? I mean, after something like that, I don't think I can handle seeing her back. Besides, you know how much I didn't like her…," I mumbled in response. Joey nodded slowly.

Sammy snatched the projector from Joey's hands and looked at me. He didn't seem to be feeling any remorse at the time, but thinking about it now, he did have a hint of regret in his eyes. Or maybe I was just imagining it. Sammy rarely ever felt anything back then. "So, that's it… That's what all of your hard work and dedication has been for. Why didn't you tell all the other animators and staff that the toons were alive, huh?! Maybe then they would have stayed!"

Joey lifted up a piece of paper with a picture of me on it. I was able to inhabit the ink on the paper and walk around as a 2D image on it. Henry was stunned and Sammy simply glared at Joey.

"It was supposed to be a more… personal project," he replied.

"You know what, I don't care anymore, Joey! I don't care if the toons are alive or not! You all can geek out over it if you want, but I'm just going to act like you hadn't told me that. If you had told me that Bendy was alive when I first started this, then maybe I'd be a little more excited about my job!" Sammy snapped. He stormed out of the room in a fit of rage. It was a pretty good argument. I'd be thinking the same thing if I were in his shoes.

Henry ignored the grouchy Sammy Lawrence. He peered at me with interest. Taking the paper into his hands and inspecting it, he nodded with amusement. "Hello, Bendy!" he chirped happily.

Oh no. He's not about to try to make me happy after what I had been through. I ignored him. Well, I would have if he didn't start drawing on the paper beside me. It was an ice cream cone. I lifted the ice cream with curiosity.

"You can speak?" Henry inquired.

"Yeah. What's this?" I asked.

"It's ice cream! You eat it!" Henry replied.

I licked the thing. It tasted okay. "Lacks in flavor. I'm sure that ink ice cream cones don't taste much different from every other ink food item," I told Henry as if I were critiquing his work. He nodded slowly.

"I never thought of that…," he mumbled. Quickly, he thrust the paper into Joey's hands and went loping away as if he had a brilliant idea. I blinked with confusion.

"Well, they were certainly something," I told Joey.

"Indeed…," he sighed.

 **-Back to the Present-**

I blinked in the darkness that was the animation studio. It was an interesting story that explains a lot of things. Never again will I ever hope to see Alice again. Good riddance.

"I have to wonder… What would have changed if there wasn't a tragedy to ruin everything?"

"Huh?" a voice called.

"Nothing that you need to worry about. Just me talking to myself like a crazy person," I answered her as if being a crazy person was normal.

"Bendy, you are a crazy person. However, that's okay. I talk to myself too."

She always knew how to make me feel better about myself. Unlike Alice. Who didn't even try. I had this bittersweet feeling. Gone insane earlier and now I'm here? It felt wrong like there was some sort of gap in the plot. How could pieces fall together like this?

"Well, your eyes are awfully distant all of the sudden," she told me.

"Kinda hard to remain in the present when reminiscing on an emotionally scarring backstory."

"That's hardly a reason!" she replied.

"Fine then! I'll just have to tell you an emotionally scarring _**front**_ story!" I joked.

"What does that even mean?"

"I have no idea…"

She laughed at my backward grammar. I kinda knew she would. What's not ridiculous about an emotionally scarring frontstory? What even is a frontstory? How is it supposed to be emotionally scarring if you don't even know what it is? It didn't really matter. I shifted closer to her.

She yawned a little. "This floor is hard. I don't like it," she complained.

"Same," I answered.

"Did Boris leave on one of his "never-ending expeditions" again?"

"Probably… I wouldn't be surprised."

"What about Sammy?"

"I couldn't care any less about Sammy. He can just stay wherever he is right now."

I could tell she didn't think that was a very good idea. She was right. Leaving Sammy alone for a long period of time was bad. That's not what I'm going to think about.

"I'm tired…," she finally said.

"I can understand that."

"I'm just gonna fall asleep. Right here. On the floor."

"Okay."

"Good night, Bendy."

"Sweet dreams, (y/n)."

"Maybe this time I'll dream about you."

"What? You didn't dream about me last time?" I asked acting like I was offended.

"Or the night before that. Or the night before that. Or the night before that," she answered cheekily.

"Oh no, I feel, like, so rejected and stuff."

"But really, I should get some shut-eye. You can do whatever because I know you don't need sleep. Unlike Joey, I don't forget I'm human. Good night for real, Bendy."

She curled up on the floor and instantly her breaths steadied out into a slow, rhythmical pattern. It was amazing how fast she fell asleep. It was a long day. I was the one who made it so long. But I remember thinking something to myself earlier. About not being a toon anymore.

But if I'm not a toon, what am I?

Well, if I'm not acting my feelings on a screen anymore, if I'm being sincere with myself, if I'm no longer this flawless creation for everyone's entertainment, if I have actual freedom to live and think for myself, does that make me, in a way, human? Maybe once that would have been an insult to me, but now? That very well may be the new twisted truth. I couldn't help but wonder if Alice would've considered herself human if she were here in a situation like this.

No. Probably not.

"Human, huh? That's certainly a thought."


	19. Chapter 17 The Traitor's Messanger

**Hi, guys! The end is nigh, readers! There are only one or two more chapters left before I'm finished! Sorry for my inactivity lately, but I'm a very busy person. Anyway, I won't take up much more of your time. Enjoy reading!**

 **Chapter 17 The Traitor's Messanger**

This hasn't happened before. Was he… asleep?

I poked my head into the room. The two of them were snuggled together, sleeping. Of course, this was somewhat surprising considering that Bendy couldn't sleep. Or was it more like he refused to sleep? Whichever one it was, I knew that even if he couldn't sleep, he would if it meant that he'd be spending more time with her. It was almost amusing seeing what he does.

But yesterday… I don't think anyone can call that amusing…

Knowing I'd have to wake them up, I decided to rouse Bendy first. I learned the hard way that (y/n) liked to throw things at people who woke her up… "Bendy, you gotta wake up…" I said lightly coaxing him awake.

After a second, Bendy opened his eyes. He looked a little annoyed and groggy, but he didn't seem all that mad. "I should have known that it'd be you. Not exactly the way I wanted to wake up. Who knew that _dreaming_ was so intense? It's like you're living your own mind reality."

"Wait, you were actually asleep?!" I asked suddenly interested in what it was like.

"Yeah. Well, kinda. I think I was only half asleep. I kept waking up in the middle of the night and I've always noticed that she's out like a light. Sleep must get to be a lot deeper than that if she can do it for so long…," Bendy replied referring to (y/n).

Forcing myself to move on from the subject until later, I finally got around to the point. "Well, you'll have to wake her up! This is important. Possibly life-or-death important…," I explained remembering why I was even there in the first place.

Hearing this, Bendy seemed a little more motivated than he was before. I knew exactly why he took that a little more seriously than anything else. He'd always think of the gruesome fate Alice met. It was nothing at all like that incident, but I wanted to convey to him that this was very important. Reluctantly, he nodded.

"Fine… We'll meet you in the main entryway in a sec."

I nodded and went back out the door. Out of curiosity, I stayed by the doorway just to see what he'd tell her. Maybe he'd get the same reaction I did. Flying objects within close proximity of my head.

"Hey, (y/n)... Boris said that you have to wake up…," he told her lightly trying to nudge her awake.

She groaned. "Who cares what Boris said…? Besides…, I know you'd rather stay here than go out there and listen to him… And on that note…," she finished her sentence by going back to sleep in an instant. I had to admit, it was a good first shot.

"Believe me, I'd be cool with staying here all day, but this really is important," he tried to explain.

"Fine, lay it on me."

"Uh… I don't really know what it's about yet…," he awkwardly replied.

A little annoyed, she once again tried to get him to stop trying. "Yeah? Well, tell me who's dying and then maybe I'll get up. If you come back and say, "Sammy Lawrence," I won't care at all."

Third time's the charm was probably what he was thinking. Once again he was back at it. "It could be about Colin."

 _Colin?_

I had forgotten about the poor Searcher. He hadn't been doing very well since Sammy slashed him. She seemed to be listening in a little more. Unlike most others, she actually liked the Searchers which I found rather odd.

"Is he okay?"

"I don't know," Bendy admitted.

"Well, can't you go check on him and then tell me?"

"He'd get better faster if you showed up."

"But how does that even work? Does bringing up their emotional status really help? My emotional status is a negative one. You know, how I feel every morning. Let me sleep, Bendy."

There was a long silence. He seemed to be thinking about something. Knowing Bendy, he almost always saved his best for last. In this case, he was wondering whether or not he should use it. "How about a bribe?"

"A bribe?"

"If I kiss you, would you promise to get up and not be Miss I Have Negative One Emotional Status?" he asked trying to be funny.

"What makes you think I'd want that?" she inquired.

"You've been mumbling my name all night," he answered simply with a smirk.

Instantly her face flared red and she shot up to a sitting-up position. "H-How did you know I was-"

"Please, you can stop blushing! Heck, I discovered last night that I snore. However, I think it's flattering that you say my name instead of anybody else's," he pointed out glad that his plan did work.

"Um… glad you think so…?" she stammered.

"Besides, I know you still want to. And you know how they say that there ain't' no time like the present," he continued. I knew he was only jabbing at the subject because that was what he wanted. It may have been a little bit selfish of him, but he can't help being a little compulsive.

"Can I ask why or how you suddenly know all of my inner wishes and desires?"

"So, you admit it!"

"What?! No, I-"

"Too late to take it back! Besides, during the entire conversation we were having, you were smiling!" he announced.

She didn't answer for a second and Bendy almost seemed a little disappointed by her reluctance to say anything. "Maybe later…," she mumbled.

Bendy sighed. Then he perked back up again and hauled her to her feet. "You're killing me slowly, (y/n). Just killing me!"

I figured that was my cue to leave. Racing down the hallway and to the entryway, I plopped onto the floor and waited. Within a few moments, they were there too. Bendy seemed cheerful while (y/n) just looked tired.

"Hi, Boris! We're here! What's so life-or-death that you get all worked up about it?" Bendy asked. I wondered if he was secretly annoyed at me for making him go through so much trouble to wake up (y/n).

Rather than speaking, I fished through my pocket until my hand reached a folded piece of paper. Reluctantly, I held it up. "Look."

They both leaned forward and saw with wide eyes why I was so concerned. It was an add for the new mall that was going to be built… right on top of the animation studio. Both of them looked at each other with confusion.

"But… how? I thought that Lesla would fix the problem!" she exclaimed.

"I called all the shots! All the shots!" Bendy shouted standing up and pacing to use up his new energy that he would usually use to destroy something.

"What do we do? There's no way they're going to go back on it now! Are we going to stop them…?" (y/n) seemed much less chill about it than she was the day before.

Bendy glanced from the ceiling to the floor to her. He shook his head slowly. "The only plan I have is to kill them. But, that's been my plan for humanity from the beginning anyway. But… I don't really know what to do anymore."

"We need to find Lesla," (y/n) pointed out. I nodded because that was more than likely the best plan we have.

"And Sammy. He's been gone for way too long now," Bendy added.

"We should go look for them both. It's the only way we can figure this out," I reasoned. They both seemed to agree with this idea and I once again lifted (y/n) to her feet. "Where are we going to look first?"

Bendy shook his head. "No, Boris. If I know Sammy, we won't even have to look for him. He'll find me. Besides, I don't want to look for him with intentions on finding him myself."

I noted his response. He was mad. Not showing it, but he was definitely mad. I knew Bendy way too well.

We ended up just walking. The three of us didn't know to who or to where. Bendy was constantly climbing on my shoulder and then hopping off to look at something just to come back onto my shoulder. He had to do something with his energy I knew, but couldn't he just make up his mind on whether or not he should sit on my shoulder? It wasn't much of a surprise that (y/n) dozed off on the way to… wherever we were going.

I looked over at one point and saw a park. There were many flowers and plants that stuck out over a grassy meadow beside a quaint little playground. All in all looked like a nice place to stop and rest.

"Bendy, why don't we stay here for a few minutes?" I asked pointing out the park. He saw what I was talking about and instantly agreed.

We stayed there for only a few moments before we saw a familiar face there. She had orange hair and black eyes. Bendy stepped away from her with an almost evil look in his eyes. It was saying, 'Stay away from me or I'll rip ya to shreds, traitor.' Who could blame him for thinking such a thing?

"If it isn't who I was looking for…," Bendy mumbled.

Lesla saw us and sighed. She approached and crossed her arms at the two of us. "Let me guess, you all hate me for letting him do it." Not one part of her seemed surprised or even the slightest bit worried. If I was her, I'd be expecting this conversation to happen at some point too.

"You did simply let them destroy our home," Bendy pointed out matter-of-factly.

"What was I supposed to say? Sammy Lawrence told me to destroy it," Lesla explained with a shrug.

Bendy's face became drained of all emotions at the words Sammy Lawrence. I knew what was going to come next. "W-What do you mean Sammy told you to-"

"Oh yeah. I forgot. Sammy wants me to relay a message to you. He said that he was sick and tired of you constantly being mean to him for no particular reason. That was the reason why he decided to destroy the animation studio. It only takes so long before someone will finally snap if you're cruel to them long enough…," Lesla told him.

His alarm and surprise were very present. Nothing in him moved. Lesla spoke before he could speak. "Well, it's your own fault. Maybe if you'd been a little nicer, he would've been more inclined to help you. As you already know, I don't help anyone unless if I like the person. Your only hope is changing Sammy's mind." With that, she turned on us and walked away.

At first, I wondered if she had completely broken Bendy. He stared off into space. I tried to comfort him, but he cut me off abruptly.

"Look, it's gonna be alright in the end I'm sur-"

"No, Boris. Things aren't going to end okay… I don't care anymore. But you wanna know somethin'? I'm kinda sick of havin' of this. Which is why I'm going to settle this whole dispute once and for all…," he threatened violently.

Bendy grinned as if he had a crazy plot only he could pull off. Not only was he a maniac, I'm sure he was acting a little bit like Joey by saying this.


	20. Chapter 18 The Final Choice

If you were looking from the perspective of another person, today would've been a beautiful day. It would have been the kind of day where you would go to the beach for some fun. Blue skies, green grass, not a threat in sight. However, for you, there was no escaping the simple fact that there was a threat. You just didn't know it yet because you had taken a nap in the park. Someone prodded you awake, but it wasn't with the same intent as Bendy's that very morning. Not the same at all.

"(Y/N)! Wake up!" Boris told you practically dragging you to your feet before you were even fully awake yet.

Upon the rude awakening, you slowly forced yourself to open your eyes. Annoyance filled you, but there had to be something more important than that. "Boris…? What's with all the shouting? I would've gotten up if you'd just asked… What happened to Bendy?" you asked noticing that he was nowhere to be found. Not an inch or shadow of the park seemed to reveal where he could be.

Boris didn't wait for you to stop and completely wake up. Whatever was up must've been important. "I don't have a clue except for that after finding Lesla, he stormed off in this direction and he didn't seem to have any good intentions! Come on! We gotta catch him!" Boris forgot about your leg and when you were about to run after him, you shouted in pain and fell down. Nothing like pain to get you up from a nap.

"BORIS!" you shouted angrily now on the ground.

Finally stopping, Boris looked sad for a moment and this time slowly picked you up from the ground. "I'm sorry… Forgive me for that… I didn't mean to do that…"

"Yeah, you'd better be sorry!" you snapped in reply.

As soon as he was off in a dead sprint once again, you wondered where you were going. Raising your voice over the wind flying past you, you asked about it. "Where are we going?!"

"To Lesla's house!" Boris shouted in response.

"WHY?"

"Because that's where Sammy is!"

Lesla's house looked almost like the White House. That meant that she was incredibly rich. Boris completely ignored the sign that said 'Keep Off The Grass' and went tearing across the carpet of greenery. You wondered how Boris knew Bendy was that way, but you didn't question the wolf's tracking skills.

The backyard was a disaster. Ink blotches were scattered across the ground and what looked like tentacles were surging left and right from them. Each encircling the helpless victim. Sammy Lawrence in a panic in the middle of the chaos… with an angry Bendy.

Should you wish to know what he looked like, Bendy was mysteriously taller (probably from the amount of ink all over the place). Devilish wings sprouted from his back and large horns curved in the shape of a crescent rested menacingly on his head. Black ink dripped down into his eyes hiding his gaze and all you could see was his demon grin. Sammy was trembling and you knew Bendy was enjoying it. Boris's eyes grew wide from horror and you could barely process what was happening.

"Well… Look who decided to show up after all! Probably here to **stop** me…," Bendy said in a distorted, insane voice. He crossed his arms and laughed. "And I'm supposed to be the good guy here! Why defend this guy who tried to kill both of you?!"

"But Bendy! We're only here to stop you because it's wrong and I know you won't forgive yourself if I let you do it! And I know I won't be able to forgive myself either!" Boris shouted.

"Whatever I feel… does not matter. What he's done can't be forgiven! I've put up with him for long enough! Wouldn't you agree with me, Sammy?" Bendy growled in the music director's face.

Sammy struggled to scurry away but was stopped by the ink tentacles which flocked in to block his escape routes. He fearfully turned back to Bendy. "M-My lord! I-I just… I don't th-think I-! Please! Don't kill me, my lord!" he cried throwing himself at his master's feet.

Bendy shook his head at Sammy. "You don't understand… Do you really think I'm going to accept that?! It's not like I really _wanted_ to hurt you but seriously?! What you've been doing for so long… is inexcusable. You tried to kill my friends. I can't forgive that! That is attempted murder! You went against your own words to me. That makes you a liar. You tried to destroy the only place that's safe for me, Boris, (y/n), the searchers, and everybody else who lives under that dark, dreary roof! Do you want to know what that is?! TREASON!" the demon snapped slapping Sammy across the face with an inky attack sending Sammy to the ground from the force of the impact.

The music director didn't say anything in response and it was better that he didn't. Bendy sighed really not liking his new set motive. Boris couldn't speak and you didn't know if rushing in to 'save the day' would help at all like it did for Joey. Sammy looked up pathetically from the inky restraints and the now stained-black grass. "I'm… sorry…"

"SORRY?!" Bendy snapped whipping back angrily to confront the music director. "YOU'RE SORRY?! That's got to be the biggest lie yet, Sammy! I don't care what happens to me or you! I just want to know why! How could you have the audacity to tell me that?!" Bendy yelled slashing him with an ink tentacle.

As soon as the attack hit, he demanded again. "Why?!"

Another attack.

"WHY?! Why are you such an idiot?!" he demanded finally thrusting him back to the ground. Suddenly he froze right in the place he stood as if a sudden thought daunted on him. He didn't move.

"Bendy…?" Boris asked barely at an audio level you could hear.

Despite how quiet his comment was, like magic, Bendy came back to the realm of reality. He began to tremble and when he spoke, his voice wavered. "Why do you want to take everything away from me…?"

No answer.

Bendy couldn't stop trembling no matter how hard he tried. He was once able to kill someone without a second thought. That was then. Now he had the opportunity to end it and he couldn't move. "It shouldn't hurt this much… to destroy the one I've loathed and hated for so long…"

No answer.

"You should be the one terrified. Not me!" Bendy cried sounding very unsure.

You thought about his words but said nothing.

Finally, Bendy gave in to his conscience and the ink tentacles melted into nothing more than ink puddles on the ground. The black liquid dripped from his body and he shrunk considerably in size back to his normal form. His gaze was still shrouded by black ink, but his harmless form returned. His voice returned to normal. "I… don't understand…"

Sammy, not willing to hang around to see how it played out, scurried away. He ran so fast that he tripped over onto the ground a few times. You hoped to never see his ugly face again. After what you just witnessed, it didn't matter to you what happened to Sammy or what he did.

Bendy fell to his knees on the ground. "I don't understand… I could've just ended him! What happened…? It shouldn't have been so hard…"

Boris rushed over with you still in tow. He knelt down next to his best friend with a look of sympathy. Bendy didn't even acknowledge him in the slightest. You still couldn't see his face. The passion and motivation that once sent him flaring with burning desire were now completely extinguished.

"Do you remember… when you asked me to kill Sammy?" Bendy asked Boris after the lifetime of intense silence.

Your mind raced back. The gun. In that room. Sammy was going to get rid of you when Boris attacked Sammy to save your life. In the end, Bendy got the rifle. He was holding it up towards Sammy with Boris telling him to do it. Boris's eyes clouded when he remembered.

"I don't know what came over me that day… Maybe the thought of someone trying to hurt my friend was what made me do it…," the wolf said.

"I tried so hard to get rid of Henry, Sammy, and Joey. But… maybe it's not worth it anymore. Each time I get involved with the three of them… something happens to ruin everything… My relationships, my sanity, my home, and heck, my life! If those three are just going to curse the life they gave me, then I'll remove them from everything I do. I won't think about this stupid grudge anymore! Maybe if I leave them behind, things will stop contorting into monstrous figures before my very eyes… A little girl to a monstrous lying viper. A happy man with no true faults to a dead corpse rotting away somewhere to be locked in my mind forever. A cute little cartoon character with no wish other than to make people smile…," his voice faded and became deep and dark with disgust. "...to the Devil himself…"

He stood from the ground with energy renewed and quickly whisked the ink from his face. His eyes were still grim but filled with a new determined hope. It was almost as if he simply tried to forget everything that just happened. The idea of thinking a moment longer on that thought seemed to be too much. That and there were other things to worry about.

"I can sense rain," Bendy said with a glance up at the sky with a dark look in his eyes.

Boris stood up from the ground acknowledging the fact it was about to rain. "We should head back to the studio."

"While it's still there…," growled Bendy in response.

Now this story doesn't have a sad ending. Sure, everything was completely lost when the studio was completely wrecked, but there was another side to the destruction of that studio. A happy side that, for the first time, didn't have a negative side effect.

Balancing on one foot, you were next to Boris, and Bendy was riding on his shoulders. Bendy Jr. was resting on Bendy's shoulder because he thought that the only thing in that studio worth saving was his own little plushie. It was demolition day and you kind of wanted to watch.

"I hope this is the last we ever see of this place. Only death and misery shall live there now," Boris said with a slightly satisfied nod.

"I just hope the searchers will be okay…," you mumbled sadly at the thought of the ink blobs.

"May their souls rest in peace from this day on…," Bendy replied in hopes of making you feel better.

The moment the studio was smashed by the wrecking ball, peace seemed to flood your senses. It was officially over. Anything that happened in the past was over and gone. "That's the last we'll ever have to worry about that," you said before you turned away from the sight of the rubble and stray wooden planks.

"The future can only get better from here!" Boris chirped encouragingly.

"Unless if it rains! Are there any signs of rain?!" Bendy demanded searching frantically through the sky. Like usual, the sky was still as blue as it always was. Bendy then pointed an accusing finger up at the sky. "You are very indecisive! You first want to be calm and blue, but the next second, you're then stormy and angry! You might as well be an ambivalent human with constant mood swings!"

You chuckled at his random shouts at the sky. He obviously knew that the sky wouldn't answer or even contemplate a little on what he was saying. What he was saying was, 'Water cycle, stop working this instant!'. With the little burst of humor from your only love, you nodded to yourself. This is what the future will be. No doubt about it.

 _And it will be perfect because Bendy will be there with me._

 **Bendy's POV**

 _So, what are you going to do now?_

I glanced over at Bendy Jr. who was sitting on my shoulder. I had finished demanding answers from the sky and glanced back at him. It would be strange to talk to a doll out loud in front of my friends, so I answered it in my mind. **Huh?**

 _Are you going to make me say it again? What. Are. You. Going. To. Do. Now?_

 **Why do you want to know?**

 _Because. I'm you. You have no clue. Where are we going to go? What are we going to do?_

 **Uhhhhhhhh…**

 _Exactly! You have no idea!_

 **Maybe you just have no imagination!**

 _You just said that you didn't have any imagination._

 **Shut up!**

I looked away with annoyance at my own thoughts which were impersonating a doll of myself. However, I knew very well that it was right. After this, who knew where we were going to go? What would we do? I turned back to my friends to ask, but Boris beat me to it.

"So…, does anyone have a plan about what to do now?" he questioned looking specifically at _me_ for an answer. I stiffened unsure of how to reply.

"I- Uh…"

(Y/N) walked over and drew our attention over to her. She had a thoughtful expression and her eyes seemed to be gleaming with an idea which she was still debating to share. "There is someone who I know… Do you remember when Sammy was terrorizing us with that gun a while back?"

"Not actually all that long ago, if you think about it," I pointed out.

She nodded her head obviously remembering the whole thing with Sammy Lawrence regretfully. "Sammy said he gave my uncle one for his wedding. Bendy, you may have brutally drowned Henry, but Aunt Reina is still living in Maine completely unaware of what happened to her husband. Reina has always liked me… and if she hears about my situation and doesn't hear about what happened to Henry… We could just stay in Maine!"

Boris's ears perked up at the idea she had. "Say, that's not a bad idea! I just have two questions… Will your aunt allow us to be there and where even is Maine?"

"Maine is in one of the farthest northeastern corners of America near Canada. And if she doesn't allow you in, then I could simply ignore her and… smuggle you in any way. She has a pretty big house," (y/n) replied with a defiant grin. "I'd rather be evicted and stay with you guys anyway than live alone in her house without the two of you!"

"I dunno… If she evicts you, I might have to go on a murderous rampage again…," I pointed out non-seriously.

"Oh no! Whatever will I do then?! It's only _never_ happened in the few weeks I've been stuck with you guys! That sounds so horrible!" she said sarcastically.

Boris sighed semi-sadly. "If only if those statements weren't sarcasm…"

As we set off to find our new destination who-knows-how-far-away, I noticed that for once, I wasn't dreading the coming adventure. Sure, we'd have to tell a few lies and steal a few train tickets from helpless people, but our futures were bright. I then realized how cliche my thoughts were and thought about accusing the sky again of being indecisive.

 _Is this the ending you were looking for…?_

I glanced back at Bendy Jr. knowing I didn't think the thought he just thought to me. If I did think it, it wasn't on purpose. Glancing from side to side to make sure nobody was taking note, I nodded to the doll.

 **Nobody I loved was lost or taken from me. Surely that's as good as an ending can get, right?**

…

 _You're right, Bendy Darling. This is the ending you deserve… As for me, I completely deserved the gruesome fate I received._

 **ALICE?!**

 _Yes… And… I think I understand why now._

 **What do you mean? AND HOW ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?!**

 _I understand why you lived and why I didn't. You have someone to live for. You loved (y/n) more than any toon ever loved a human, Bendy. I was selfish. There was nothing I could do to redeem myself from such a nasty deed… I didn't truly love or care about anyone besides myself._

 **But… Why are you confronting me with this only now?**

 _You may second-guess your past decisions, but I think you were completely right in everything you did. Do you truly not understand how much love means? If I had, this probably wouldn't have happened to me…_

 **I get what you're saying, but why are you having self-reflections in my head?**

 _You… You're going to love (y/n) forever, right?_

 **Oh, silly little angel. Of course, you would be asking me that.**

 _Why are you always like that?!_

 **Because… I won't love her forever. I'LL LOVE HER LONGER THAN THAT! No matter how many bow ties I have to wear!**

 _You and your bow ties._

…

 _Then you were right. This is the ending you were looking for this whole time…_

I looked up from the Bendy doll with Alice's voice out of my head. What was the point of this? Her attempt at self-assuring me? Was she doing it for me or herself? I never understood her. Maybe that was why I could figure it out now.

My thoughts were snatched away from me once more after my confusion about Alice. This time, it was by her angelic voice. She sang. Alice couldn't even compare to her. I had forgotten… how it made me feel.

" _Once upon a time_

 _When there wasn't pain_

 _And wandering was I_

 _Through the darkest of shade._

 _A crazy man came_

 _Sent my mind ablaze._

 _Where was this place_

 _Where dreams came true?_

 _Found myself guilt tripping over leaving you_

 _Yet you terrified me like the ways you always would do._

 _And there was something resonating in my heart_

 _That said we were never really ever apart._

 _Through the dark of night_

 _And the hands that steal._

 _Sometimes held too tight,_

 _It was no big deal._

 _The wolves are crying in the night_

 _Enemies smiling wide._

 _But a memory is spinning_

 _Of us, both guilt tripping._

 _What happened to the lake of silver?_

 _Or the smile of a sheep in wolf's clothing?_

 _My hands began to shiver_

 _Through the danger worth noting._

 _May not be magnanimous,_

 _But that's fine with me._

 _He may not have loved an angel_

 _But he sure did love me._

 _The Devil's advocate_

 _Sings into the night_

 _With her master's love playing_

 _Into the moonlight._

 _You can mend the broken fences_

 _Which were broken in the past._

 _There may be no self-reflection_

 _But your memory is vast._

 _Do you remember me crying_

 _to the dark of night?_

 _It makes me dream of flying_

 _And it's your wings that give me flight._

 _What happened to the lake of silver?_

 _Or the smile of a sheep in wolf's clothing?_

 _My hands began to shiver_

 _Through the danger worth noting._

 _May not be magnanimous,_

 _But that's fine with me._

 _He may not have loved an angel_

 _But he sure did love me._

 _He sure did love me…_

I remembered a girl. She was eight years old. Her eyes would gleam at the sight of a cartoon in a projection. The girl loved him… and he loved her back. They never knew they would meet and have their love renewed. It was my story. _Our_ story. Even after ten years of being apart…

I still feel all the same as then.


	21. Announcement!

**Announcement!**

 **Oh my gosh… It's finally finished! 145 pages long! My Sans x Reader was exactly 100 pages long and this one is almost 50 pages longer… Wowza!**

 **I thank all of you for reading until the very end. I really doubt now at this point that I'll be making a sequel. You have no idea how many times I've had to write and rewrite the ending to this story… So many endings. Maybe if requested enough, I can put in a couple of ideas I had or maybe some removed parts from this story! That's completely up to you, though.**

 **I still can't believe I started this story with only Chapter 1 released of the actual game Bendy and the Ink Machine… Now Chapter 4 is currently in production! I wanted to finish this story by Christmas, and here I am!**

 **It is still unlikely that I'll make another Bendy x Reader. I prefer to move on and continue moving forward! I'm in the process of making a Shadow the Hedgehog x Reader actually if anyone's interested. And if you're not, I'm still putting it on here because I think it's pretty good so far!**

 **Annnnd… that's about all I have to say about this story and any future stories. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me! Once again, thank you! And have a wonderful life!**


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